The Nutcracker Princess
by SilverWarriorWolf
Summary: When there is a split decision on what sort of story to tell at story time, a tale of magic and adventure is spun, chronicling the tale of a boy, two nutcrackers, and a kingdom in trouble.
1. Chapter 1

Friday, December 19, 2087

"Oh, crud!" Rheeci cried, pushing her way into the busy W.O.M.P. HQ. It was about three o' clock in the afternoon, and she was almost late for her shift in the W.O.M.P. daycare center.

She skidded past the people mulling about in the main lobby and hurried off to the main elevator. Once inside, she tore off her mittens, shoved them into her coat pocket, and took that off as well. By that point, the elevator opened on the fifth floor, and she dashed to the huge office room that acted as the building's daycare.

When she arrived at the room, she was greeted by Clara-Marie Hoffmann, the coordinator of the daycare. "Good to see you today, Therese," Ms. Hoffmann called out. "I was starting to worry you forgot about your shift today."

"Oh, me? I didn't forget," Rheeci assured her superior as she hung her coat and backpack up and put on one of the daycare aprons. "I just got a bit busy with the chores at Aunt Felicity's place that I didn't notice what time it was."

"Oh, don't apologize to me, hun," Ms. Hoffmann said. "Just hurry on in. The kids are eager for their story."

"Their story?" Rheeci gulped when she heard the statement. "That's right! I was supposed to tell a story today, and I forgot my book!"

"Just pull a book out of the pile of donations," Ms. Hoffmann said, pointing to a box that was sitting in the corner. "If you're lucky, there might be a Christmas themed book in there somewhere. Goodness knows, that's all a lot of the tykes can think of right now."

"Thanks!" Rheeci called out. She turned to the box and started digging in to see what was there. "Let's see, a lot of old ones in here…huh…no…not this…maybe, if I can't find anything else…a ha! This one!" She snatched up a small paperback book titled _Clara and the Nutcracker_. "There's a Christmas book if I've ever seen one. I love that ballet!" Flipping through it, she checked to make sure it was appropriate for the age range she was going to be reading to. Finding that it was a short chapter book based on the ballet, she nodded happily to herself before tucking it into her pocket.

As she stepped into the playroom, she was greeted as a small girl ran up to here and tossed her arms around her legs. "Miss Weeci hewe!" the little girl called out. "Hi! Hi!"

Rheeci looked down to greet her charge and realized it was Kitty Cortes. "Well, hello, Kitty," she laughed, patting the toddler on the head. "What are you doing here?"

"Mama at wo'k an' Josie is playin' at a fwiend's house an' Will go tah he'p hewe wiv Penny an' t'e ot'er guys, so me an' Izzie get ta pway hewe!" Kitty answered.

"Ah, yes, I remember now," Rheeci replied. Of course, the other teens would be in training. This volunteer work was the only reason she wasn't.

"Now, kiddos, come on, come here!" she called out, taking Kitty by the hand and guiding her to a carpet square around the big story-time chair. "It's time for a story!"

Of course, it took a few minutes to get the kids to settle down and sit on the carpet squares, but with the help of the other teen and adult caretakers, they achieved their goal. "Alright, everyone, we've got a great story today," she said, pulling the book out of her pocket. "We're going to read _Clara and the Nutcracker_. Does that sound good?"

There was a mixed reception to the book among the kids. Many of them cheered at the prospect of the book, but another set of about equal amount made disappointed sounds. "Not that book," a little boy in the front groaned. "It's so _girly_."

"So, why don't you want to hear this story, Freddy?" Rheeci asked.

Freddy groaned again. "It's just dancing and kissing and stuff. I wanna hear a story with fighting, and a bad guy who has to get beat up! Like a story about Inspector Gadget!" Several of the children agreed with his sentiment, calling out their own opinion.

"But I wanna hear this one!" a little girl named Olivia called out. "It's really good, and we're gonna do this dance for my ballet recital!" Other children piped up with her in agreement, and soon, there was all out dissent in what made a proper story.

While the clamor was going on, Rheeci flipped through the book again to see which version of _The Nutcracker_ it was. To her disappointment, it seemed heavily based on the ballet, where the fight with the Mouse King is largely glossed over and more focus is given to the individual dancing tribes.

Deciding on a course of action, she turned back to the kids. "Alright, I've made up my mind," she said. "We will be telling _The Nutcracker_." At this announcement, half the room cheered and half the room groaned. Giving a smile, she went on. "But, we won't be reading this book version."

"We're not?" a little girl in the front called out.

"T'en what we gonna wead?" Izzie Cortes asked.

"I've got a special version of the story in mind," Rheeci replied, giving a broad grin. "It's got not one, but two nutcrackers: a nutcracker prince and a nutcracker princess."

"Why t'ewe two nutcwackahs?" a boy in the back asked.

"Just listen," she replied, giving a wink. "The story starts out one Christmas Eve, in the house of-"

"I know! I know!" Olivia called out. "It's Clara's house!"

"Not this time," Rheeci replied. "This time it's the house of a boy named-"

"Will!" Kitty called out.

Rheeci placed her hands on her waste. "Now, who's telling the story, you guys or me?"

"You are," the daycare said out in unison.

"That's right," Rheeci nodded. However, the sudden interruption gave her an even better idea. "But you are right. This story starts in the home of a boy named Will…"

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 _It was late afternoon in the Cortes household. They were a relatively well-off family, and like everyone else, they were currently busy putting the finishing touches on the decorations around the house in preparation for the Christmas Eve celebration._

 _You see, it was tradition in their household that the primary celebration of Christmas happened in the evening, when they would throw a grand party for their friends and family. It was then that a grand celebration would occur, and even the children would be allowed to stay up late and open their presents._

 _At that moment, the eldest son of the family, a boy named William, had been finishing the last decorations on the tree, while his younger sisters were setting up (or really playing with) the pieces of the Nativity scene. He was climbing down off the step ladder when they came to be a knock at the door._

 _"_ _William, could you please get that?" his mother called out. "It's probably one of the guests."_

 _"_ _Yes, ma'am," he called back before turning to the door. He smiled, as even though he couldn't see who it was who knocked, he had a good idea of who would be there so early._

 _"_ _Merry Christmas, Aunt Brenda," he greeted as the woman came up to the door._

 _"_ _And a merry Christmas to you, William," the tall woman greeted. Brenda Bradford wasn't really the children's aunt, only William's godmother, but she was around enough that they considered her to be their aunt._

 _"_ _Aunt Brenda's here!" Josephina, the eldest of the girls, cheered. She raced over to the woman. "Come in! Look at the tree! And the Nativity scene! And the hearth! We've been working hard on it!"_

 _"_ _I see you have," Brenda said with a laugh. "It's quite beautiful. You have certainly outdone yourselves, and the ball tonight will be simply wonderful."_

 _"_ _Auntie Brenda, Auntie Brenda, did you bring us gifts?" one of the younger girls, Caterina, asked._

 _"_ _Yes, yes!" her twin, Isabella, agreed. "Can we see them? Please?"_

 _"_ _Caterina, Isabella," William scolded. "Don't be rude. Aunt Brenda came to celebrate Christmas with us, not just give presents."_

 _There was an amount of protest from the younger girls, but it was cut off as their mother entered the room. "Now, now, girls. Listen to your brother," Margarita called out. "Aunt Brenda is a guest; we need to be politer than this."_

 _"_ _Sorry, Mama," the twins said in chorus._

 _Brenda, however, laughed in response. "Oh, it's Christmas, and they're excited," she said with a laugh. "No harm done."_

 _At that moment, the woman began to chat about things that were going on and moved to the kitchen to see how the food was coming along. After a few more minutes, more and more guests began to come to the house, and the party began in full swing._

 _There were children there, so the youngsters had someone to speak and play with, but there was no doubt that the first part of the party was primarily for the adults. Mostly, they mulled around, speaking of things that had been going on in their community or in the government while the children ran around and played. After about an hour and a half of this, the party goers moved in to the feast._

 _And what a feast it was! There were all sorts of good foods available. Fresh baked rolls and breads were out, with butter and jam to pile on top. Potatoes that were mashed, roasted, shredded, fried, and seasoned in every feasible way. Salads with fresh, tender greens or plump, juicy fruit were sitting in pretty silver bowls. Cheeses of a numerous variety sat on platters with knives lying across them, their pretty orange-yellow color just pleading for one to taste it. Crowning over it all was a marvelous Christmas ham, which had been cooked to perfection._

 _The guests all took to the feast with a gusto, and by the time the dinner was finished, there was hardly a crumb left. A number of people stayed behind to clear the dishes away as the children and elderly went into the main parlor to talk. Once that was all finished, then came the time that all the children had been waiting for._

 _While most of the presents were to be opened on Christmas Day, the next morning when they returned from mass, it was permitted that every child in attendance open one present on Christmas Eve. Of course, once the dishes were all done, the children sprang into the room and selected the package that seemed the prettiest to them._

 _For the Cortes girls, that, of course, meant the gifts their Aunt Brenda brought. She had, in the past, brought many fascinating gifts from her travels, and they couldn't wait to find out what tonight's was._

 _The presents didn't disappoint. For the twins, each box contained a small wind up toy soldier. They were near identical, with the only difference between the two being the color of their uniform. Caterina's wore a handsome orange uniform and Isabella's a blue one. The soldiers were so skillfully done that it appeared as if they were ready to march and use their rifles at a moment's notice._

 _Josephina's was beautiful, too. It was a little yellow stuffed dog with a red bow around his neck. Even though he was a plush toy, the dog had such a stern, serious look on his face that it was almost humorous. Of course, the look on his face was the only thing hard about the dog, as his fur was wonderfully soft, especially on the ears, and Josephina wouldn't place the little dog down for the whole evening._

 _William did not intend to open a present that night, since he was fifteen now and far too old for such things. However, Brenda had other ideas, and she approached the boy with a box in her hand. "Here," she said, handing it to him. "I have one for you, too."_

 _"_ _Thank you, Aunt, but I can wait for tomorrow," he replied, though an intense curiosity filled him the moment the box was in his hands._

 _Brenda seemed to sense this curiosity, and she gave her godson a grin. "Come now, have a little fun. I can guarantee that what's in this box is very special."_

 _William was going to protest again, but the spark of interest became unbearable, so he did as he was bidden. Inside the box lay a pretty nutcracker doll. It was shaped like a girl with long blonde hair that was tied back with a red ribbon. She was wearing a red and green dress with a white velveteen sash around her waist, and on her head, was a golden tiara. Her eyes were turned down to a little blue book that was in her right hand. The only sign that the pretty doll was a nutcracker was two lines that traveled down her chin from the corners of her lips, showing the path her mouth was to take._

 _There was no questioning the doll was beautiful, but it still seemed like an odd gift. "Are you sure this is for me?" William asked, taking the nutcracker out of the box as he asked. "This seems like something more for Josephina."_

 _"_ _No, she's for you," Brenda replied with a nod, "though she does go with the other gifts as well. I found them in a toy store on one on my trips, and I have a feeling this little princess is much more than she appears."_

 _"_ _Oh!" Caterina exclaimed when she spotted the doll in William's hand. "It's a dolly! Let me see!" The little girl then raced over to grab the nutcracker._

 _"_ _Wait! She feels fragile!" William called out, but it was too late. The young girl had already grabbed the doll by her legs, which came off in a moment._

 _"_ _I broke her," Caterina said, looking down in horror at the damage doll. "I'm…I'm…" tears started to well up in the little girl's eyes as she realized what had happened._

 _"_ _Oh, come now, it's alright," Brenda said. She took the two halves of the damaged nutcracker and, taking a small bottle of glue out of her purse, put it back together. "There, good as new." She then turned and handed the doll back to William. "All the same, you'd to well to be careful with her in the future. Promise me you'll protect her."_

 _"_ _I will, ma'am. Thank you," William replied as he took the little doll back. He was still curious, though, as to why the nutcracker doll might be meant for him or what danger could be necessary._

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As Rheeci told her story, the kids sat, listening with rapt attention. It would have taken an explosion to shake their focus on the story at hand.

Since this was the case, no one noticed when one of her coworker pulled out their phone. "Oh, this is so going online," she said to herself. "A Gadget story, told by one of Penny Gadget's team! My followers are going to eat this up!"

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 _After the party, the guests filed out one by one for the evening. Before long, only the little family was left. They worked to make sure that everything that had been left from the party was tidied up and put away, and then everyone hurried off to bed._

 _William was the only one of the children to have a room to himself, considering he was the only boy. Thus, he was allowed to stay up for a short amount of time after bedtime, provided he wasn't too tired the next morning. As was his tradition, he stayed up for about a half hour reading before turning out his lamp and going off to bed._

 _Before turning the light off all the way, he cast one more glance over at the nutcracker doll, which had been placed on a high shelf for safe keeping. The gift still seemed rather odd to him, though he was able to overlook that for his godmother's sake._

 _Turning his lamp off, he turned over and started to go to sleep. However, sleep seemed to evade him no matter what he did. He tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable, but no matter what he did, he couldn't quite figure out what the problem was._

 _After a half hour of this, he just held still and tried to see if that help. Sleep still refused to come to him, though, and he ended up holding still and listening to the silence of the room._

 _In the stillness of the room, however, he heard a scratching sound coming over from the direction of the shelf. Moving as silently as he could, he reached over and retrieved his glasses from the nightstand by the bed and turned to see what it was that was making the sound._

 _To his surprise, the nutcracker was moving. She had left her position on the shelf and had edged to the other side. At the moment, she was bending over, looking to see if there was some easy way down._

 _She hadn't noticed that William was awake, which meant that he could watch in silent amazement as the little girl straightened up and began searching for something to help her get down. She was so intent on finding a tool, and he in amazement of what he was seeing, that neither of them noticed the dark shadow that was approaching until it was too late._

 _A dark-robed figure appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the nutcracker by her hair, yanking her back and forcing her to look him in the face. "Well, Princess Penelope, imagine finding you here."_

 _"_ _Let go of me," the nutcracker said with a scowl. She swung at her captor, both with her free hand and with the book. "Let go of me now, you filth!"_

 _The figure tutted at the comment. "Really, Penelope, is that a way for a princess to talk? Especially to your future husband?"_

 _The nutcracker, Penelope, finally succeeded at making contact here, saying nothing but nailing her captor in the face with her book. He was forced to release her, and she staggered back away from him, as far from him as the shelf would allow. She them glanced behind herself, as if judging whether she'd rather take her chances with the newcomer or risk jumping to her doom._

 _William could now see the newcomer more clearly now. He looked like a small, flesh and blood human, though he was a little taller than the nutcracker doll. He had a cruel look in his eyes, like he was fully enjoying the distress the nutcracker was in._

 _"_ _You know why I came here, Penelope," he said. "I'll be bringing both you and that book back with me, and there's nothing that uncle of yours or his silly guard can do to stop me."_

 _"_ _Stay where you are!" Penelope called out. "I'll jump before I ever give you this book."_

 _"_ _Oh, really?" The newcomer seemed to change his shape, and he rushed on the doll. True to her word, she attempted to leap off the shelf, but the newcomer was too fast, and seized her by her wrist, dragging her back onto the shelf._

 _Once more, William got a clear look at the newcomer, and this time, what he saw horrified him. The figure wasn't a human, but some sort of rat monstrosity. "I didn't want to ruin that pretty body of yours," the rat creature snarled, "but you've left me no choice." In a moment, he brought her write to his mouth, and it was clear he intended to gnaw the hand that was holding the book off._

 _It was at that moment that William remembered his promise, and he realized he couldn't remain an observer. Reaching down, he snatched up one of his boots by the laces and flung it as hard as he could at the rat creature. His aim was true, and the boot hit home, knocking the rat creature back and forcing him to release the nutcracker._

 _The force of the blow, however, also cause the doll to stumble back, and she fell off the edge of the shelf. Moving as fast as he could, William dodged in and caught her before she could hit the ground. "It's alright, I've got you," he said._

 _"_ _Thank you," the doll replied, giving a look of relief. In a moment, however, she looked frightened again. "Hurry, we must get out of here."_

 _"_ _Alright, but I don't think he's going to be bothering you any time soon," William replied._

 _"_ _You underestimate the abilities of a rat warlock," the doll replied. "That will have injured him, but he's far from finished."_

 _William was skeptical of this claim, but he listened to the doll and hurried over to the door. However, he moved too slow, and out of nowhere, a black bolt struck him in the back, knocking him down. An odd feeling came over him, and he cried out. It felt like he was being compressed on all sides, and when the feeling faded and he could stand on his own, he was only slightly taller than the nutcracker!_

 _He had only a moment to process this, however, as the nutcracker was soon trying to help him to his feet. "Come on," she said. "We must hurry, before he catches up to us!"_

 _It took William a moment to reclaim his footing, and as soon as he was up, he and the doll began running for the door. They had good reason for the hurry, too, since a dark figure had arisen from the shelf and was moving towards them at a rapid speed._

 _They had only run a few feet when the rat creature caught up to them. He grabbed William by the back of his nightshirt and pressed him against the wall. He found himself facing the beast's teeth, when suddenly, the nutcracker came in. Moving fast, she tackled the beast, ramming her shoulder hard into his stomach and knocking him back._

 _The wind was knocked out of the rat creature, which gave the nutcracker time to grab William again and take off running once more. "Come," she said. "We need to meet up with my friends; there's safety in numbers."_

 _The head start the sudden attack had given them was enough time for them to make it out of his bedroom. The rounded a corner into the hall, and waiting there was the two wind-up soldiers and the dog._

 _"_ _Private Fidget! Private Digit! Brain! Over here!" the nutcracker called out._

 _"_ _It's Princess Penelope!" the orange soldier exclaimed._

 _"_ _Your highness, what's wrong?" the blue soldier asked._

 _"_ _The Rat Prince followed us here," the nutcracker replied. "He would have had me, too, if it wasn't for William here."_

 _"_ _We'll have to do thanks later," the blue soldier stated. "Looks like the Rat Prince has caught up with you."_

 _Sure enough, the hulking beast had recovered from the blow, and was at that moment charging out of the room at them. "We'll hold him back, your highness," the orange soldier said. "You get to the tree. Your uncle and Sergeant Connelly should be there, and we'll catch up after you."_

 _"_ _Alright," the nutcracker replied. She hurried over to the stuffed dog, who was now the size of a horse compared to the two teens. He crouched down, allowing her to climb on. "Thank you, Brain," she said, rubbing the dog's head. She then turned to William. "Come on, Brain will bring us to the tree. We should be safe there."_

 _William wasn't quite sure what to think, but the gunfire from the soldiers' rifles told him that this wasn't the time to argue. Taking the nutcracker princess' hand, he was pulled onto the dog's back._

 _In a moment, the dog hurried off, taking the teens away from the fight between the soldiers and the rat thing. They charged down the remainder of the halls and down the stairs, past the kitchen and into the living room with the tree._

 _When they arrived, however, they found their destination was far from safe. The entire area was swarming with more rat creatures, and they were all eyeing the dog and his two riders._

 _To be continued…_

 _Author's note: This is my new Christmas special, written to match into the ReInitiated story. I will give warning that this will contain spoilers for any RI chapters set before December, but still, I wanted to have this story up by Christmas. If you want to avoid spoilers, I would reccomend waitng for RI to reach December and then read this, but if you don't mind the spoilers, than read on!_

 _I hope to hear from you!-SilverWarriorWolf._


	2. Chapter 2

Friday, December 19, 2087

W.O.M.P. HQ

"That's it, Eli! Just a bit longer!" Bridgette called out. She was in the process of stabilizing a collapsing bridge with her yo-yo, while Eli stood beneath the bridge holding it up.

"Easy for you to say," Eli replied. "This thing feels like a baby elephant."

"Alright, everyone out!" Penny called out as she and Linc ushered out a hoard of hostages from the danger zone. "Hurry, we need to get out fast!" She was currently using her standing wheelchair, which allowed her to maneuver around her friends and the rescued people a bit more easily. Touching her watch, she called up the remainder of her team. "Will, Kayla, how's that distraction going?"

"It'd be easier if Rheeci were here," Will replied. "The thugs were startled back by the coyotes, but considering electrical sparking is the only sound they're making, their starting to get suspicious."

"Let 'em be suspicious," Kayla stated, sounding much more confident than her companion. "There might be no roar, but they'll find this beast still has a bite!"

"Just remember," Penny said, "we want to keep them distracted, not engage in a fight. We're just trying to get bystanders out of here and hold back the baddies until help arrives."

"My baby!" The voice of a woman called out from deep under the bridge. "My baby's trapped under some rubble!"

"I'm on it!" Linc called out. Pulling out his boomerang and giving it a few swipes to build up the kinetic energy, he hurried over to the woman. "Alright, ma'am, where's the kid?"

"She's right over there," the woman said, pointing over to a little girl who had been trapped by some falling rubble. "Please, you have to get her out of there!"

"I'm on it," Linc replied, activating his sunglasses so they told him where the weakest part of the rubble was. Once he got a location, he swung the boomerang hard at it.

Penny turned and noticed what he was doing, and a look of fear came into her eyes. "No, you've got to be more gent-!" she started, but her warning came too late.

He swung the boomerang at the spot, which did free the child. However, it also destabilized the rest of the bridge. It started breaking in two, snapping the bar Bridgette was using to hold the bridge up, causing the whole structure to collapse over Linc, Penny, Eli, and those hostages who hadn't gotten out yet.

Just as the stones began to fall, they disappeared, leaving the kids alone in the hologram chamber. Will and Kayla hurried over to join the others just as Gadget and Heather entered the room. "Alright guys, that wasn't bad for a first time at this scenario, there was still a major problem," Heather said. "Can any of you tell me what that was?" She turned her focus specifically on Linc. "Maybe you?"

"I didn't try to see how things would react," Linc said with a sigh.

"Exactly," Gadget said with a nod, though he had less annoyance in his voice than his partner. "You need to remember that your actions will have consequences on your environment and your team."

"We know that from personal experience," Heather said, giving Gadget a look that he completely missed. Turning back to the kids, she continued. "You can't use you're more…explosive uses to your weapons in an enclosed space like that. Had this been real, that little slip up could have killed three of you, not to mention the hostages who hadn't gotten out yet."

"Sorry," Linc muttered.

"Oh, don't be sorry, this is what training is for," Gadget replied, his usual cheer slipping back into his voice. "You can make mistakes in here, where they can't really hurt anyone, and learn from them. After all, you're not going to try a little stunt like that again out in the field, now are you."

"No, sir," Linc replied.

"Well, there you go. Lesson learned." Gadget then turned to the others. "The rest of you were doing fine out there, though the distraction was rather wanting."

"That's what happens when we only have half of our special effects department," Kayla said as they all hurried out of the VR chamber. "Where was Rheeci anyway?"

"She volunteered for daycare duty," Penny replied as she dug a water bottle out of her bag.

"That's right, Kitty and Izzie were taking about that," Will said. "She's supposed to be telling some sort of Christmas themed story today."

"Hey, guys, over here!" Kayla called out. She was opening her computer and starting it up. "We've got a message on the blog to check out this video. We were tagged in it."

"What's it say?" Linc called out as he and the others crowded around the laptop.

"It's right here," Kayla replied, clicking on the link. "Here we go, 'The Nutcracker, Gadget style.'" She pressed play, and the group couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"No way," Bridgette said with a laugh. "That's quite the story."

"And you're the protagonist," Linc said, teasingly punching Will's arm. "Lucky dog."

"Uh, sorry?" Will said, genuinely not sure what to think

"Don't be," Kayla responded. "You're kid sisters are in there; it makes sense they'd want you to be the hero."

"What's going on?" Gadget asked as he and Heather came over for a look.

"See for yourself, Uncle Gadget," Penny replied, motioning over to the computer.

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 _Seeing the danger posed to his riders, the dog backed up and bore his teeth at the rat beasts, warning them away from the teens. This did not achieve its intended effect, and the creatures charged at them._

 _The dog proved more dangerous than his plush form would have suggested, as he teeth and size did give him an advantage over the rats. However, there were still many of them around, and the nutcracker and William were forced to swing at those that came along at the sides._

 _Things took a turn for the worse very soon, as they beasts gripped William by the leg and tore him off the dog. The nutcracker tried to help him keep his seating, but in turn was pulled off as well. They were both in the clutches of the beasts in a moment, and the dog just about overwhelmed._

 _In a moment, however, there came a sound of gunfire. It was enough to get the rat monsters to release them. In that moment, the enemy scattered and the trio were left to pick themselves back up._

 _"_ _Alright, come on now," a woman said as she hauled William to his feet. "Hurry up. That little display won't keep them away forever, and we'll need to make it back to the hideout before they find us."_

 _William looked around, confused as to what was going on. The woman who had spoken to him was a redhead that appeared to be in her twenties and, aside from her small size, she appeared perfectly human. She was also wearing a soldier's uniform and had a rifle at her side._

 _Across from them, a man in a grey military coat was helping the nutcracker to her feet. It took William a moment to realize it, but the man was also a nutcracker, as could be seen when he turned._

 _"_ _Uncle, I knew you'd find us," the female doll said, embracing the male nutcracker as she spoke._

 _"_ _Of course we found you," the man replied, returning the embrace, "but we need to hurry. Claw's sent more troops out this way once he found out this was where you were. This is only a small amount of them, and word has it the Rat Prince is also coming. Where are the Privates?"_

 _"_ _We're right here!" the orange clad soldier called. He and his brother were now racing down the stairs._

 _"_ _The Rat Prince is right behind us, too!" the blue clad one said. "He'll catch up to us soon!"_

 _"_ _No, he won't," the male nutcracker replied. To William's surprise, the nutcracker appeared to shoot his hands out away from his arms. They were attached to long ropes, which allowed him to grab the two soldiers and pull them to where the group stood._

 _While he was doing this, the woman guided the teens back to the dog. "You two climb on," she ordered. "Brain, get the princess and this young man to the portal. The prince, the soldiers, and I will meet you there."_

 _"_ _But what about my family?" William asked. "Won't they be in danger?"_

 _"_ _These things are after us," the woman replied. "Unfortunately, you're already involved, but once we're away from here, your family will be safe."_

 _That said, the dog took off running, just in time for the rats to regroup and charge. Thankfully, the woman, the nutcracker, and the two soldiers were ready, unleashing a barrage of fire on the advancing army before following the retreating dog themselves._

 _They dodged under the tree and as soon as they got there, the dog started digging at the base. William was about to ask what he was doing when a bright light opened up where the dog was digging. In a moment, he jumped in, taking the teens with him._

 _There was a flash of lights and a blur of sound and color as they fell in. It seemed like this trip went on for ages, but it only took a moment. Once it was finished, the group landed in a pile of deep snow._

 _Despite the cushioned landing, the teens were still tossed off by the blow. When he was able to reclaim his footing, William noticed the female nutcracker, who was struggling to get up despite her now-soaked dress. "Oh, here, let me help," he said, struggling to make it over to her._

 _"_ _Thank you," she replied, taking his hand. "Oh, dear, that was close."_

 _Now that he was up close, William could now notice some things about the girl nutcracker that he hadn't before. Primarily, he now saw that her book was stuck to her right hand, as if it were a part of her._

 _He didn't have too much time to contemplate this oddity, though, since at that moment, several cries alerted them to the fact that the others had arrived. The woman came first, followed closely by the two soldiers, and finally the male nutcracker._

 _"_ _Penelope, there you are!" the male nutcracker said once he had gotten back up. "Thank heavens you're alright."_

 _"_ _Thanks to you guys," the girl nutcracker said, going over and hugging the male one. "And to my new friend here." She then motioned over to William. "Your name is William, is that correct?"_

 _"_ _Uh, yeah," William replied, still somewhat out of sorts from what he was seeing._

 _"_ _That's a fine name if I've ever heard one," the male nutcracker said approvingly. "Thank you for your help back there, William." He gave a slight bow. "My name is Prince John of Cosmolapia. This is my niece, the Princess Penelope, our captain of the guard, Sargent Heatherdown, Privates Fidget and Digit, and Brain, the royal pet."_

 _"_ _Pleased to meet you," William replied. It was at that moment that he first noticed the cold, which was worse than he initially expected, and not made any better by the fact that his night-shirt and pants were soaked through and he was barefoot._

 _Sargent Heatherdown seemed to notice this too. "You're not quite dressed for this weather, are you?" she asked. "Brain, you'd better carry him over to the barracks; I'm not sure how long he'll last in this snow."_

 _"_ _Oh, right, the barracks," John said. "We'd best get there before the rats come through."_

 _"_ _Wait, barracks?" William asked. "Rats reaching us? What's going on?"_

 _"_ _We'll explain once we reach the barracks," Penelope replied, getting onto the dog's back behind him. "It's kind of a long story."_

 _The trip to the barracks was not long. With Prince John and Heatherdown took the lead, with the rest of the party moved behind. They soon reached their destination, which was hidden from view, partially because of the snow, and partially because it was built into a cliff wall._

 _Once they made it into hiding, the group paused and began to warm up. William was given a soldier's uniform and boots, which would stand up against the snow much better than his nightclothes would. At the same time, Penelope changed into a traveling dress that would be more appropriate for the travels, and the adults searched the barrack for food and a way to start a fire._

 _Once everything was set up, the group sat around the fire, though John and Penelope were careful to keep a safe distance away. "I understand this all must be very confusing to you," Heatherdown started, looking directly at William. "I promise, there is a reasonable explanation for all of this; you just need to be able to hear us out."_

 _"_ _After all that's happened tonight," William responded, "I don't see why I shouldn't listen."_

 _"_ _Good attitude to have," John replied. He then leaned back, racking his brain for how to start. "We've already begun with introductions, so I guess we had better start with the obvious oddity." He gave an awkward smile. "I'm sure you've noticed how Penelope and I are…well…nutcrackers."_

 _When William nodded, Penelope picked it up. "That has everything, unfortunately, to do with the rats that attacked us back there. My parents, you see, were the king consort and queen of this land, Cosmolapia. When I was little, a sorcerer, calling himself the Rat King, came here and demanded an audience with them. They were willing to listen to him, but it soon became clear that he was mad, and playing with dark magics. There were even raids at the borders of our lands, were several villages were attacked, though the inhabitants were mostly left alone. They warned him not to threaten this realm, or they would be forced to fight."_

 _"_ _I'm guessing the Rat King didn't take that lying down," William hazarded to guess._

 _Heatherdown shook her head. "Nope. He ordered more raids, and this time, the rats wiped three villages off Cosmolapia's map. The Queen and King Consort weren't about to take that lying down, and armies were sent out to deal with the Rat menace. I remember well. I was part of the original detail sent out."_

 _"_ _As was I," John added. "As the Queen's brother, it was my duty to watch over the armies in defense of our land." He gave a sigh. "At first, everything seemed to be turning out well. We were able to rout the rat army back into their own lands and establish guards at our boarders. It was then that most of us returned to the capital, assuming the job had been finished. We were very wrong."_

 _"_ _After we had pulled back," he continued, "the Rat King attacked again. This time, he didn't hold anything back. The palace was invaded and taken over. We evacuated as many of the citizens that we could, but my sister and her husband refused to leave. They were…I couldn't stop…" He paused getting choked up on his words. Penelope leaned over and hugged him, clearly sharing his grief._

 _Digit picked up the conversation from there. "The Prince had wanted to stay to fend off the invaders, but he had to leave to protect the Princess. Sargent Heatherdown, Fidget, and I were assigned to act as further protection during the flight, and Brain came with as well."_

 _"_ _We were able to make it out of the city walls," Fidget said, picking up from his brother. "We thought we were home free, but there was one last attack that the Rat King had planned. I guess this had to have happened when he found out the Prince and Princess had not been slain with the King and Queen, but he sent out a curse on any of the remaining members of the royal family."_

 _"_ _The nutcracker…thing," William commented._

 _Having recovered enough to speak, Penelope nodded. "Yes. In fact, it used to be worse than this. When we first were changed, we couldn't speak or move, though we could sense everything around us; I was terrified we were going to have to spend the rest of our days like that."_

 _"_ _Thankfully, it looks like the Sugarplum Fairy was able to intervene in time," Fidget commented._

 _Through this whole story, William was trying to take everything in stride. After all, he had been shrunk down to about a foot in height by a rat warlock and was speaking with a group of people composed of two royals-turned-nutcrackers, talking windup soldiers, and a living stuffed dog. Still, he needed more info on just what was going on. "Sugarplum Fairy? What's a Sugarplum Fairy?"_

 _"_ _You don't know who the Sugarplum Fairy is?" John's face was the very picture of shock. "Why, son, she's the most beautiful and powerful fairy in all of Cosmolapia! She and her fairies attend to everything in this vast and wonderful land. She and those that came before her are responsible for a lot of the enchantments of this land, and we'd have been lost without her help."_

 _Penelope giggled when she heard her uncle's explanation. "Uncle John fancies her just as bit. However, what he's saying is true. Before the Rat King's attack, she was responsible for most of the magical defenses of the land. We lost contact with her just before the invasions began, which we have no doubt has to do with something the rats have cooked up."_

 _"_ _Despite this, we have reason to suspect that she's not completely unaware of what's going on," Heatherdown said. "When the Prince and Princess we're first transformed, we were concerned that it was all finished. However, in the morning light, they could get up and move around, contrary to what the curse did to them at first. We suspect that the Sugarplum Fairy sent a mitigation spell. Of course, one needs to be close if one is to break a curse completely, so they're still…like this, but we feel this is her way of telling us she knows what is going on, but she can't come herself."_

 _"_ _And that's where we're off to!" Prince John exclaimed. "We've been traveling to her home for weeks now. It's located on a mountain in the very core of the country, so it will take us time to get there. Once we're there, though, she should be able to break all the curses, including the one on your height." He made a motion to William as he made this last statement._

 _"_ _Unfortunately, the Rat King knows about her, too," Digit said. "That's why it's been taking us weeks. Every time we get close to the mountain, he sends his troops after us. That's how we, the Princess, and Brain ended up in your realm. We were barely able to escape the rats when they used the portal, but we were picked up by a shopkeeper who thought we were toys."_

 _"_ _Thankfully, your house had a portal back here that we could use to track them down," Heather replied. "I'm sorry you got caught up in all of this. Once the curse is broken, you'll be brought right back to your home as soon as possible."_

 _"_ _It wasn't your fault," William replied. "It was that Rat King guy."_

 _"_ _Unfortunately," Penelope said, "that wasn't the Rat King. Even though he is a powerful sorcerer, the Rat King rarely leave the palace now. He prefers to leave most of the fighting to his captains, and the one you fought was his fiercest one, the Rat Prince. The prince is his heir and nephew, and is nearly as powerful as his uncle. That's why he was sent after me, and after…" she trailed off, her eyes falling on the blue book that was fused to her hand._

 _Before anything else could be said, John stood up. "Well, it is quite late right now, and we're going to have a long journey to the mountain. Come now, off to bed. Girls to the right dormitories, boys to the left."_

 _Without another word, they all went off to bed._

 _…_

 _In the palace, located in the heart of the Cosmolapia capitol, the Rat King was going over his plans. His men had recently returned and told of how they had lost the nutcrackers once more. The unfortunate messengers had not lived long afterwards._

 _There had been a trifle of good news, though. "I found the book, my lord." The Rat Prince, who was now in his human form, gave a bow before continuing. "It was like I suspected. Penelope took it with her when the cowards fled from us. It must have been in her hand when the curse struck, so it is now a part of her."_

 _"_ _A detail that troubles you much, I am sure," the Rat King replied sarcastically. He knew well of his nephew's desire for the beautiful princess._

 _"_ _As those fools told you," the prince continued, motioning to what was left of the unfortunate rat guards, "we were unable to claim her and her cronies. I almost had the book and the princess myself, but one of the giant race attempted to intervene. I was going to deal with him myself, but that was when the princess' minions showed up. He is, however, shrunk down to a proper height, so he will not be trouble again."_

 _"_ _He, like all who stand in our way, will be slain." The king gave a cruel laugh at the thought of his brutalized enemies. "Now, is there any other news you bring me?"_

 _"_ _Only one other thing," the prince responded. "We now know exactly what it is the nutcrackers are planning on doing. They still wish to make their way to the Sugarplum Fairy's home in hopes that she can break your curse."_

 _Hearing this, the Rat King broke into laughter. "Oh, they are stubborn, aren't they? Still, even if they succeed, that will not do them any good. Once they reach the place, they will have to deal with my army. Then, the last of the royals shall finally be dead!" He then turned to a prisoner, who was partially hidden by the shadows. "Isn't that right, my dear?"_

 _The Sugarplum Fairy, who was chained to the wall behind the throne with a chain that inhibited her magic, turned, not wanting her captors to see her a weak. As such, she had to disguise her tears, though she could not hold them back._

 _Ignoring her once again, the Rat King turned back to the prince. "Go. Send out the troops. Kill all but the nutcracker princess, and bring her hear. Once I have the Book of Cosmolapia, she will be your prisoner."_

 _"_ _Thank you, my lord," the Rat Prince replied, and taking his monstrous form, he hurried out to fulfill his master's wishes._

 _To be continued…_

 _Author's Note: Alright, to give credit here, the Sugarplum Fairy role is being played by Inspector Prince, who was originally from Go Go Gadgetinis. Like with RI, I am using this character with permission, and will also mention that GGG is more aimed at a more mature audience than this story._


	3. Chapter 3

_systemcat: Yeah, the standing wheelchair did get a bit of a mention earlier, but we'll touch more on it in the next RI arc._

 _Out of curiosity, who did you think it was going to be?_

 _IG and co. belong to Cookie Jar entertainment._

Friday, December 19, 2087

Bradford Tech

"Man, you really did a number on this monitor, chief," Brenda said, looking over the mangled piece of technology in front of her. She picked it up and turned it over in her hands. "This part's crushed…that one's rusted away…there's extensive burn damage…the screen's smashed…how did you get a shredded ramen cup inside without removing the glass?"

"It was Gadget," Quimby replied with a sigh.

Hearing the explanation, Brenda gave a knowing nod, setting the device down as she did so. "Alright. I'm pretty certain I can fix it, but it will take time."

"How much time?" Quimby asked. "I'll need a replacement monitor until I can get this one back, and I _don't_ want to have something happen to that one. Goodness knows what the supply manager would do then."

"If I can get to it right away, I can have it back to you sometime after New Years," Dr. Bradford replied. "I'll have to put an order in for the screen glass, since what's here is basically unusable. The rest I think I have the parts here, so that won't be too much of a problem." She then scooped up the damaged monitor in her hands. "Too bad my former assistants took up those other jobs, I could have used their help."

"I have faith you'll do just fine," Quimby replied. "All the same, if Gadget happens to come in…"

"I'll make sure he's far away from it." Brenda gave a small smile. "Come now, chief. I know John's destructive capabilities better than almost anyone else. Do you really think I'd keep fragile devices I'm working on in his reach?"

"I just need a little reassurance," Quimby replied. He gave a small laugh. "Mable says it's something about me that drives her crazy."

"So, how is your wife doing right now?" Brenda asked. They two of them gave some small talk as they wandered over to find one of her interns to take the mangled device.

It was a bit of a struggle, though, since none of the interns were where they were supposed to be. Brenda and Quimby were forced to search the lab sections of the building to try to find some assistance.

They eventually found the interns gathered around a computer at the back of one lab. "There you all are," Brenda called out, jolting the group up. "Apparently you all have finished all your work to be able to turn your attention to a computer."

The interns looked shame faced, but one of them waved her over. "Dr. B, you got to see this. The funniest thing came up on the Gadget Blog. You, too, chief."

"This had better be good," Brenda said in a warning tone of voice. They went over, interested in what is was that had called the team's attention away.

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

 _Morning came fast, and soon the small band found themselves trekking across the icy landscape of Cosmolapia's woods. "See over there?" John asked, pointing out into the distance. "That's the mountain we're headed too. If we keep on like this, we should reach it in several days' time."_

 _"_ _Well want to make a stop in Gingerbread Village," Heatherdown added. "We'll be able to pick up supplies there, and perhaps they'll have some transportation so we can get there faster."_

 _"_ _Wonderful idea, Heather," John replied with approval. "I think that's also where Chief Philip Quimby was stationed before the invasion. If that's the case, then we may also have help."_

 _"_ _How are you doing back there, youngsters?" the prince called back. "Fairing alright?"_

 _Truth be told, William was still struggling to get used to his uniform. It was slightly too large for him, and he kept almost tripping over the boots. He also kept messing up with holding his rifle, which felt alien in his hands._

 _It didn't help that Private Digit corrected him on his posture every five seconds. "Do you want to shoot yourself in the foot?" the soldier scolded. "Hold your gun in the cradle carry position!"_

 _"_ _Oh, yeah, right," William replied. He fidgeted around with weapon, but wasn't able to please the wind-up soldier._

 _"_ _No, no, no," Digit groaned. "You're doing it all wrong. Don't you know how to carry a firearm?"_

 _"_ _Well, actually, no," William answered. "There was never a need for it before._

 _This answer did not please Digit one bit. "What!? You've never-?" He reached over. "Give it here." When the teen did as ordered, Digit marched off, grumbling under his breath about the state of child rearing these days._

 _Seeing the interaction, Penelope laughed and joined up with William. "Don't worry about him," she said, sliding her hand around the boy's arm. "He's a stickler for the rules and a bit of a complainer. He'll find something wrong with someone else soon."_

 _Sure enough, a moment later, he was mumbling complaints to Fidget, who only gave non-committal responses. He was well aware of what his twin was like._

 _"_ _So, Penelope, I hope you don't mind me asking," William said, turning his mind away from the scolding. "What's that book? Why are the rats so interested in it, and why is it stuck to your hand?"_

 _"_ _This?" Penelope looked down at the book in her right hand, and her face became sad._

 _Catching her mood change, William immediately regretted asking. "I'm sorry. If that's too personal, you don't have to-"_

 _"_ _No, it's good that I talk about it," Penelope responded. "It's the Book of Cosmolapia. It is a priceless heirloom, handed down from every king and queen to their successors. It contains the rules and secrets of this world for centuries. It is the one true proof of right to rulership in this kingdom."_

 _"_ _And that's why the Rat King wants it," William guessed._

 _Penelope nodded. "My mother knew that's what they would be after, so even though she and my father stayed behind to help our people during the invasion, she gave this to me as Uncle John and I fled. I happened to be holding on to it when the curse struck us, and as a side effect, it got stuck on." She gave a small chuckle. "It's kind of annoying not to have a proper right hand, but I suppose it could have been worse."_

 _William opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Heatherdown's call cut it off. "Hey, everyone get down! I saw something out there."_

 _Everyone responded quickly. Penelope and William ducked down into the snowdrift, with Brain standing guard over them. Heatherdown and the wind-up soldiers prepared their rifles, and John stood up straight, his sword unsheathed. "Who's out there?" he called out. "Reveal yourself!"_

 _The group held still, waiting to see if rats would come out and attack them. To their relief, it wasn't rats, but two young men and a young woman._

 _When she saw them, Penelope shot up from her hiding place. "Bridgette! Elijah!" Hurrying over, she embraced the girl and the younger of the men._

 _Going over to the older man, Heatherdown frowned. "Alandale, what are you three doing out here? You could have run into rats, and none of you are trained to handle the army."_

 _"_ _We didn't have too much of a choice," the man replied. "We received word by bird that your group escaped from the rats, and Quimby sent everyone and their mother out to search for you."_

 _"_ _Good to see you, lad," John said, joining the two. "How are things in the Gingerbread Village?"_

 _"_ _Not too good, I'm afraid," the girl, Bridgette replied. "We've been able to defend ourselves against the rats, but they've cut us off from any other towns. We're starting to run out of supplies, and with the roads closed to all but small bands, things are starting to look bleak."_

 _"_ _Of course, once we heard the Prince and Princess were returning, we were certain that would turn things around," Alandale added. "Quimby's been sending out small bands in groups of three to try to find you guys and get you back to the village."_

 _"_ _What luck!" John declared with a smile. "That happens to be just the place we were headed. Lead on, we'll go in a group."_

 _As they walked on, Penelope introduced the newcomers. "William, these are my friends, Bridgette and Elijah. They were my companions even before this began." Turning to them, she smiled and motioned to the boy. "This is William, a native of the giant's world. He assisted me in escaping from the rats, and even dealt a humiliating blow to the Rat Prince."_

 _"_ _Really? He's a giant?" Bridgette cast an examining glance over the boy. "He doesn't look like a giant."_

 _"_ _I used to be taller," William responded, feeling a bit awkward from the examination._

 _"_ _Bridgette, manners," the older boy, Elijah scolded. He then turned to William. "Don't mind her, she's just critical of anything she hasn't seen before."_

 _"_ _Hey, if a girl can't trust her own two eyes, what can she?" Bridgette retorted._

 _"_ _What he says is true," Penelope said. "He was shrunk to this size by the Rat Prince as retaliation for his defense of me." She gave a smile. "He struck a blow that, had it been any other rat, would have been lethal. He saved my life, and was quite brave."_

 _"_ _It was just a boot," William responded, blushing from the praise._

 _"_ _Really? That's impressive, man," Elijah said, placing a hand on William shoulder. "Anyone who's willing to face up to the rats is fine by me."_

 _"_ _Same here," Bridgette said. "Giant or not, we're going to need all the help we can get, especially since the fall of the capital."_

 _As they kids chatted, up front, the adults spoke of the times. "So, you say the rats have cut off all trade routes between the village and other towns?" Heatherdown asked._

 _Alandale nodded. "Indeed. I've kept up my own messaging through the birds like before, but that's our only form of communication. Otherwise, we're completely cut off."_

 _"_ _That would be a problem," John replied with a frown. "We were hoping to pick up supplies before we continued on to the Sugarplum Fairy's home."_

 _"_ _Oh, dear, you haven't heard?" Alandale asked._

 _"_ _It's been awfully hard for us to have news of anything recently," Heatherdown replied._

 _"_ _Oh, yes, of course," Alandale said, shaking his head. "I'm afraid we have really bad news. We have already attempted to reach the fairy's house, and when we reached it, it was completely ransacked."_

 _"_ _It had been attacked?!" Heatherdown asked._

 _"_ _Was she there?" John asked, fear clear in his voice. "Was she hurt?"_

 _"_ _I'm afraid I don't know," Alandale responded. "The whole place was empty. Two of her attendants were there, but they were injured. Apparently, they rats made it there while they were attacking the capital as well. The fairy put up as much of a fight as one could hope, but she was horribly outmatched. I don't know any more than this, though. You'll have to ask the attendants about it when we reach the village."_

 _"_ _Then we must waste no time in arriving there," John said. His face grew stern and serious. "This is worse than we could have supposed, so I'll need to discuss with Chief Quimby a plan of attack."_

 _"_ _That's what we were hoping you'd say," Alandale replied with a smile. "Now that you're back, we should be able to recollect for an attack."_

 _As they left, they were not aware they were watched. Just over a ridge, two men watched them. They were soldiers in the rat army who had, truthfully, just wandered onto the group by accident._

 _They had been taking a break on a cliffside in their human formed. One was taking a nap while the other had been left to keep guard. "I don't know why I have to do all the work," the one who had been left grumbled._

 _"_ _It's 'cause I'm your superior," the other replied. "You know how the chain of command goes."_

 _"_ _But you don't even have a title!" the second rat man whined. "If you were the King, or even-wait, what's that?"_

 _Hearing this, the other rat man looked up. "What's what?"_

 _"_ _That, over there," the lacky said._

 _"_ _Well, it looks like we found our trail," the superior rat said. "Good searching, Rat."_

 _Rat gave a huff. "We're all rats now, you know, Presto. You can stop callin' me that."_

 _"_ _You were Rat even before you were a rat," Presto snapped. "Besides, you don't have any useful magic to get you another name, so shut your gob."_

 _Rat scowled but remained silent. Both the men took their rodential forms and crept forwards to get a closer look at the party. They stopped when they were far enough away to get a good look at the travelers without getting caught._

 _"_ _Oh, look, they're all there!" Presto said with glee. "The two nutcrackers, the missing soldiers, they've even got that giant the Prince shrunk down. I'll tell you what, Rat, we catch that load, and the King will reward us handsomely indeed." He turned his back to the group. "Yes, sir, we'll have our pick of any of the treasure we so want!"_

 _"_ _Uh, Presto?" Rat said, but he was paid no heed._

 _"_ _We'll just need to come up with a clever scheme," Presto said, getting lost in his own flights of fancy. "I'll dress up as an enemy general, and you can be my servant."_

 _"_ _Presto, you'll want to see this," Rat tried to argue._

 _"_ _Be quiet now, you can say what you want to at the end," Presto snapped back. "Now, once we've got their attention."_

 _"_ _They're getting away!" Rat snapped, pointing at the group as he said._

 _"_ _They're what?" Presto asked, and he turned around just in time to see John and Alandale shutting the gates to the village and locking them up._

 _Spinning around, he smacked the unfortunate Rat on the top of his head. "Why didn't you say anything!?" he snapped. "Now they've gotten away!"_

 _"_ _I tried! You wouldn't listen!" Rat responded, covering the lump on his head with his paws._

 _Presto gave a huff before taking his humanoid form. "Well, not all is lost. That village has got to have some way in, and once we're in, we can pick up from there."_

 _"_ _But won't the Prince want us to return to the camp before nightfall?" Rat asked, pointing in the direction where the Rat army had been left behind._

 _"_ _Oh, don't worry about him," Presto responded. "We'll find a way in there, and then make it out no problem. The Prince won't suspect a thing."_

 _"_ _I won't suspect what?" the unmistakable voice of the Rat Prince asked._

 _The two rats practically jumped out of their skins when they heard it. "Oh, you're highness!" Rat exclaimed._

 _"_ _We were just saying you never would have expected the nutcrackers to be in that fortress, but we spotted them going in," Presto stated quickly. "Wasn't that what we were saying, Rat?"_

 _"_ _Yes, that's exactly it!" Rat stated with a nod._

 _The Rat Prince gave an almost charming smile. "Glad to hear it. If you two had been talking about, say, disobeying orders to try to gain glory for yourselves, then I'd have to deal with you most sternly, now wouldn't I?"_

 _"_ _Oh, yes, most severely," Presto said with a nod._

 _"_ _Good thing that wasn't it," Rat added._

 _"_ _Get back to the camp," the Rat Prince said with a sneer, and the two hurried off as fast as they could, not wanting to endure their master's further wrath._

 _Before they had gone far, however, the Prince seemed to change his mind. "Presto, come here."_

 _"_ _Yes, your highness?" the rat replied, keeping his head down._

 _"_ _You're a skilled shape-shifter, are you not?" the Prince asked._

 _"_ _Indeed, sir, the best!" the lacky declared. "That's why they call me Presto-Chango!"_

 _The Rat Prince nodded. "I thought as much. Now listen to me: I want you to take some insignificant from and sneak around that village fortress. Find any weakness in the structures, but don't do anything else. If the nutcrackers are in there, we'll want to attack, but do not attack until you get orders from me to do so. Am I clear?"_

 _"_ _But, sire, if I get the opportunity, shouldn't I try to kill them?" Presto asked. "After all, if we can wipe out those nutcrackers-"_

 _"_ _The old man will be wiped out, when the time comes," the Prince interrupted, "but the girl is not to be touched. She is mine, and mine alone, and anyone else who tries to deal with her will be punished! Comprende?"_

 _"_ _Yes, sir! Yes, sir!" Presto exclaimed, backing up. "I'll do reconnaissance, and nothing else."_

 _"_ _Good," the Prince replied. "Report back to me when you are finished."_

 _The underling hurried off, taking the form of a small lizard as he did so. Soon, he was out of sight, scuttling along the village walls, looking for some sort of weakness._

 _As he waited for a report, the Rat Prince looked out over the village and gave a cruel smile. "You think you're safe from me now, don't you, Penelope? Don't worry, we'll be seeing each other very soon."_

 _…_

 _Inside the village wall, it seemed like a huge gathering came up around the newcomers. People of all shapes and sizes, humans and living toys alike, all seemed eager to see their true prince and princess once again. As this was the case, it took a while before the group was able to make it to the village center._

 _When they were finally able to make it past the crowd, they were greeted by two wind-up soldiers, a man and a woman, who were standing guard outside the building. They were taller than Fidget and Digit, and they looked so close that they appeared to be brother and sister._

 _Digit seemed very happy to see the woman. "Helena! You're safe!"_

 _Seeing Digit, the woman smiled, though her emotional reaction was not as intense. "Digit, I'm so happy to see you safe!" She went over and embraced him. "When you disappeared with the Prince and Princess, we all feared the worst."_

 _"_ _Oh, you know me," Digit responded, giving a smirk. "Those rats couldn't keep me at bay for very long."_

 _"_ _Good to see all is well, Private Helena and Private Harold," Prince John said stepping up. "I'm sorry to cut the reuniting short, but I must go in. I was told that the survivors of the raid on the Sugarplum Fairy's home are inside."_

 _Harold, Helena's brother, stepped forward and nodded. "Indeed, they are, your highness. Father is guarding their chamber so that none of the rats would reach them." He then turned to the twins. "You might be relieved to hear that it is your cousins who escaped."_

 _"_ _Data and Scooter are in there?" Fidget asked. "We're they hurt?"_

 _Helena shook her head. "There were some minor injuries, but nothing that wasn't easily repaired. They were, however, in quite a state since the Fairy was kidnapped. Perhaps seeing you will do them some good."_

 _"_ _We'll go to see them right away," Fidget said. "Come on, let's go!" he exclaimed, grabbing his brother's wrist._

 _Digit was not quite as eager as his brother, but he hurried along after him anyways. "We can talk more at dinner, Helena! See you tonight!"_

 _"_ _See you tonight!" Helena called back. She then turned to John. "You can go along. Father will let you in when he sees you."_

 _"_ _Thank you for your help, privates," John said with a nod._

 _Before he went in, he turned to those behind him. "Heather, you come with me. If we're going to need to arrange a rescue, then I might need your help. Penelope, William, you two stay back here. I'd rather not bring you into a battle field if I don't have to, so you won't need to come along here."_

 _"_ _Alright, Uncle," Penelope said with a sigh. It was clear she wasn't happy with the decision, but she respected her uncle too much to argue with him._

 _Instead, once she watched him disappear into the building, she grabbed William's hand. "Come on, I want to show you something."_

 _"_ _Show me something?" William asked. "Alright, what is it?"_

 _"_ _I can't say it aloud out here," the princess replied, "but it's something that could help us a lot in the future. Come on!"_

 _Without another word, she hurried off, followed closely by Brain, and William bringing up the rear. The three of them traveled through the village, which the boy couldn't help but notice seemed rather empty for an HQ town, he didn't have too much time to ask about it, though, because Penelope was moving fast, and it took all the boy had to keep up with her._

 _She eventually slowed down though, coming to a stop in front of a small shed. "I've only been in this city a couple of times," she said, "but every time we'd go someplace, my friends and I would establish some sort of hideaway. You met two of them already, Bridgette and Elijah. You'll meet the rest of the team now in this one. Come on."_

 _Having said her piece, Penelope slipped into the shed, leaving the door cracked open a bit for the other two to follow her. Brain first, then William, they passed through the passageway and into the shed. Still, the boy couldn't help but wonder how such a small building would be able to house a hideaway._

 _He received his answer before he even could ask the question. For the second time in two days, he stepped in and found himself sliding down a hidden passage. This time, however, he landed on a cushion rather than a snowdrift, which is was thankful for._

 _When he looked up, he realized his was in a small room with seven others there. Of course, Penelope and Brain were among the seven, as were Bridgette and Elijah. There was also another boy and two girls as well._

 _"_ _So, this is your giant, huh?" one of the girls asked._

 _"_ _He doesn't seem so big to me," the boy said. "Maybe he's only a discount giant."_

 _"_ _My name is William, thank you," William stated, mildly annoyed that they were talking about him as if he wasn't there."_

 _"_ _Sorry about not warning you," Penelope said, reaching out a hand to help him. "I was just in a hurry to make it here, and no one else but the people you see here know about this place."_

 _She then moved her hand to the others in the room. "William, you already know Elijah and Bridgette. The others are Lincoln, Kayla, and Therese."_

 _"_ _Pleased to meet you," Therese, a girl wearing a candy-cane patterned dress, called out._

 _{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}_

"That's you!" a little girl in Rheeci's audience called out in excitement when she heard the name.

"No," Rheeci replied, giving a cheeky smile. "That's Therese, the peppermint maker from Ginger Bread Village in Cosmolapia. I'm Rheeci, from Metro City USA."

The girl continued to protest, and several other children got into the discussion over whether person and character could be one and the same. However, Rheeci was able to regain order with a simple statement.

"Maybe it's too late and I should stop here," she said aloud. There was a massive amount protest, and she gave a grin. "Well, alright, I can go on, but I'm going to need everyone to be very quiet."

You could have heard a pin drop from the silence in the room. Giving a grin, Rheeci turned back to the story. "So, where way I? Oh, yes, the princess' secret hideaway…"

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

 _"_ _Pleased to meet you," Therese called out._

 _"_ _Likewise, I'm sure," William responded._

 _There was a moment of silence before Penelope picked up the conversation again. "I've brought you all here today because, as you might already know, it seems like a fight is one the horizon. We will all need to be ready."_

 _"_ _Ready?" Lincoln asked. "As in to be able to fight, right?"_

 _Penelope nodded. "I know my uncle won't let us join in the battle from the main end, but I'm starting to suspect he won't have complete say over it. We're going to need to be ready."_

 _"_ _And that, my friends, is why I brought these." She opened up a roll of cloth, which had been tucked in a corner of the room. Inside was a variety of knives, guns, swords, light axes, spears, and even a bow._

 _The others could only look on amazed, which seemed to be what the nutcracker princess was expecting. "So," she asked. "Shall we begin?"_

 _To be continued…_

 _Author's Note: Alright, new characters! Data and Scooter are also from GGG, a fanfic aimed at a more mature audience which I am using with permission. Helena and Harold are also characters, though they are canon characters. Bonus points for anyone who can guess who they are!_

 _I hope to hear from you!-SilverWarriorWolf._


	4. Chapter 4

_systemcat: Yep, that is the canon Harold. Helena was a bit harder; she's G2 from Inspector Gadget 2, but I renamed her here. They'll appear soon in RI, and their relation to Hymie will be touched on._

 _I could see why you'd guess that, but I already made Brenda the Drosselmeier counterpart._

 _Hope you all enjoy!_

Friday, December 19, 2087

W.O.M.P. HQ, London Branch, London, England

It had been a long day for Inspector Prince. While the last few missions she had gone on had been fruitful in shutting down Charybdis operations, that also meant that there was a lot of paperwork in it for her.

She had been sitting at her desk, writing report after report, and then checking report after report, making sure they would be ready when she finally turned them in to the C.I.A. branch of the building. It had gotten to the point where she was certain that if she even had to look at the words "report," "file," or "protocol," she was going to scream.

Thankfully, the torture was just about done and she had started printing off the near mountain of her work. As she watched the printer work, she chuckled to herself, glad that she wasn't going to have to head down to the mad-house of a printing room to get this all done.

She leaned back and took a sip of her coffee when Data rushed in, with Scooter closer behind her. "Mama! Mama! You have to see this!" Data exclaimed, rushing past Prince and logging on to the computer.

Prince gave a smile. "See what? What's going on?"

"One of Miss Penny's friends started telling this story, and it's been streamed to the blog she and her friends run," Scooter explained. "It's been getting quite a bit of attention as of late."

"And we're in it!" Data said with excitement. "You've already appeared, and Scooter and I are just about to come on! I've got to log on."

"Oh, I've appeared?" Prince asked with a laugh.

"Yep," Scooter replied. "You're the Sugarplum Fairy. At least, that's what some of the commenters are guessing."

That response really confused Prince. "The Sugarplum Fairy?"

"You'll see what we mean in a moment," Scooter said, giving a shrug."

"Oh! We're on! We're on!" Data exclaimed.

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

 _The building that John, Heatherdown, and the two wind-up soldiers hurried into wasn't very large, and as a result, it didn't take them long to find the room they were looking for. It was guarded by another wind-up, though he was older than the other two._

 _"_ _Prince John!" the wind-up guard said with a salute. "It is good to see you safe."_

 _"_ _It is good to see you two, Sargent Hymie," John replied. "However, we are in a hurry. We must speak with Miss Data and Miss Scooter as soon as possible."_

 _"_ _Of course, your highness," Hymie replied, moving aside so that the Prince and his entourage could enter._

 _Inside were another two sets of wind-ups who looked incredibly like Fidget and Digit. The had been left to rest in the room, though they were far too concerned to just wait. When they saw their visitors, however, they cheered up considerably._

 _"_ _Cousins!" Data exclaimed, hurrying over to embrace first Fidget, then Digit. "Thank heavens you're alright. We had become worried that the rats got to you."_

 _"_ _Oh, you know they couldn't take us that easily," Digit replied with a laugh._

 _Turning to the prince, the two wind-ups curtsied. "Your highness, it is good to see you, too. Is the princess alright?"_

 _"_ _Penelope is as fine as I am," John replied, motioning towards his wooden frame. "But what about the Sugarplum Fairy? Where is she? What has happened to her?"_

 _"_ _Oh, your highness, it was horrible," Data replied. "The rats just invaded the castle! We did everything we could to hold them back, but their numbers and magic were too strong!"_

 _"_ _The Fairy did her best to drive them off," Scooter added, "but we suspect the Rat King was prepared for her. Nearly as soon as the invasion started, she was struck with a spell that made it painful for her to use her magic."_

 _"_ _Using the last of her strength, she sent off one last spell," Data said, "and after that, she passed out. It wasn't long after that when the rats made it to us. It's a miracle we survived it. Please tell me you're looking for a way to rescue her."_

 _Prince John nodded. "Indeed. Her, and the rest of the kingdom. There's no way we're backing down from a challenge like this."_

 _His face then softened. "Don't worry. You two rest and recover. We'll find a way to save her. You have my word on it."_

 _…_

 _That entire afternoon, the Rat Prince had sat in wait for his spy to return. He was eager to charge into the village, but he'd need to know the weakness of the hideout first._

 _It was drawing close to evening, and the end of the Rat Prince's patience, when he finally heard the call. "Sire! Sire! I found it!" There, coming in close, was Chameleon, swiftly changing back into his human form._

 _"_ _Quiet, you!" the prince hissed, grabbing his underling by the throat. "Do you want them to know we're out here?"_

 _"_ _Sorry, boss," Chameleon gulped. "I did it, though. I found where you can get in!"_

 _"_ _And where would that be?" the prince asked._

 _"_ _There's an area in the wall where the ground is softer than elsewhere, even under all this snow," his lackey replied. "If you dig there, the whole structure would collapse."_

 _"_ _Excellent," the Rat Prince said, giving a grin that under any other circumstance would have been charming. "Round up the troops. I want them to be ready to attack right now. We have the nutcrackers surrounded, and I won't leave this place without the Princess Penelope."_

 _"_ _Right, of course, sir," the Chameleon replied, giving a hasty salute. "I'll get them right away!"_

 _With a flick of his wrist, the Prince tossed him backwards. Without waiting for a moment, the underling hurried off, quick to spread the word that the prince wanted to mobilize an attack and for right now. Every rat worth his or her salt moved, well aware of the consequences of displeasing the prince._

 _As his armies gathered together, the Rat Prince a cruel grin before taking his own rat-monster form to lead the charge. Tonight, the smell of battle was on the wind, and the rats were eager to meet it._

 _…_

 _The training session that Penelope had arranged had gone on well into the evening. It soon became clear to William that he was a little bit at a disadvantage. All of the others there, having had to live through attacks and battles, were already used to their weapons and rather good with them. At the same time, he had come from a more peaceful background, and was thus floundering around when dealing with the swords and axes that were available. However, he was not about to let his lack of confidence in his abilities show, especially with the Princess watching him._

 _Still, despite his valiant efforts to hide his difficulties, she still noticed his struggle. "You're not used to these, are you?" she asked._

 _William felt a blush creep up over his face when he heard her ask. "N-no, I've never had the opportunity before."_

 _"_ _Perhaps you might do a bit better with this, then." Penelope reached into her workbench and pulled out what looked like a small flintlock gun, though there were parts of it that still looked different. "I've been working on this for a while. It was going to be my personal weapon, but I can't use it now." She gave a small smile as she held up her mitten shaped hands. "No fingers. Since you've already shown you have pretty good aim, maybe it will work for you."_

 _William took the weapon and examined it. Despite being based on a flintlock, there was a small chamber in the side of the weapon, probably for loading the ammo. The whole thing was made of a reddish metal that he couldn't identify, except for the polished wooden handle that had images of leaves carved into it. "It's beautiful."_

 _"_ _Thank you, but I'd be more concerned with if it's functional," she replied with a laugh. "Here, it's already loaded. Just pull back on the lock, aim, and fire. You can aim at that feed bag over there." She motioned to a bag positioned on the other side of the room with a crudely drawn rat on it._

 _Seeing the target, he nodded. Prepping the gun, he took aim and fired. As he expected, there was an amount of kickback, but not nearly the amount he thought there would be. The bullet sailed through air and struck the feedbag, hitting the painted rat in its stomach. A small hole appeared and some of the oats started to pour out of the opening._

 _"_ _Nice shot!" Penelope congratulated. "Right on target!"_

 _"_ _I was actually aiming for the head…" William replied, blushing slightly._

 _Penelope waved his modesty off. "Had we been under attack, that would have done very well." She picked up the holster and belt and handed it to him. "Hold onto that. There may come a time very soon when you'll need to use it."_

 _"_ _Penelope, we might have a problem," Bridgette called out._

 _Hearing the call, the princess hurried over, accompanied by her other companions. "What is it?" she asked._

 _"_ _It sounds like fighting," Bridgette said. "Lincoln went up to check the area out, just to be sure, but-"_

 _"_ _It's the rats!" Lincoln's voice carried down to those who were still in the bunker. "I don't know how they got in, but there's full on fighting in the streets!"_

 _"_ _Looks like we'll need to use these sooner than I thought," Penelope commented. She snatched up her own weapon, a rapier, which had been lying on the table. "Come on, there's only one way out here, and we don't very well want them cornering us in here."_

 _The others nodded, snatching up their own weapons and hurrying up as she spoke. When they arrived outside, they could see just what had happened. The tunneling the rats did at the wall caused an entire section to collapse, allowing the monsters to flood in through the hole. Those who were unable to fight had been forced to flee, and those who could fight had already sprang to arms._

 _In an instant, the kids were forced to as well, as they were immediately sprung upon. Penelope especially seemed to attract attention, though the rats weren't picky as to who they battled with._

 _On the other side of the village, the Prince was hard at battle, too. He had his own broadsword at hand, and Heatherdown was by his side, her rifle at the ready. The two of them had been preparing to gather together a troop to take to rush the rats' fortress when the attack had occurred. In an instant, all thoughts of plans and preparation were tossed out the window._

 _"_ _How'd they all get here so fast?" Heatherdown asked as she paused to reload her weapon._

 _"_ _There must have been some weakness in the defenses!" Gadget replied. He clashed swords with a rat before successfully disarming his opponent and kicking him in the gut. "We'll have to pull a retreat!"_

 _Heatherdown nodded, but before she could reply verbally, she was forced to pick up her weapon and aim for a rat sharpshooter, who had been aiming at the prince. The enemy dropped in a moment._

 _"_ _Good idea," she agreed when she had a moment. "We'll have to find the princess and get the two of you out of here."_

 _"_ _Get Penelope out," Gadget corrected. "I need to stay back here and make sure the rest of the troops make it out."_

 _"_ _But your highness," she tried to argue, but she was cut off._

 _"_ _Don't argue with me!" he snapped back. "It is of utmost importance that she makes it out, but I need to lead the rest of the troops!"_

 _"_ _Of course, sir," Heatherdown replied, though it was clear she wasn't happy with her orders. "Now, where is she?"_

 _"_ _She should be…" John started, but he trailed off when he caught sight of Penelope, locked in battle herself. She had her rapier in one hand, and her book in the other, and she was fighting hard against the Rat Prince, who was himself armed with a scythe._

 _"_ _No!" The nutcracker prince kicked out, sending a rat flying as he hurried over to try to rescue his niece from her attacker. Heather hurried behind him, struggling to keep up with him._

 _At the same time, Penelope was well aware of the danger she was in. In the chaos of the battle, she had gotten separated from the other kids, who were all in struggles of their own. As a result, she knew she could not depend on anyone hurrying over to her rescue._

 _She had only been able to dodge a swipe from the Rat Prince's scythe by mere inches. Spinning around, she was about to provide a counter swing with her rapier. There was a clang as metal hit metal, and she was face to face with her foe._

 _"_ _Little princess is all alone out here, is she?" the Rat Prince mocked as faced her. "No uncles or giants here to rescue you this time, sweetie."_

 _Penelope didn't bother to respond. Maneuvering backwards, she sought out any route that might give her the upper hand in the battle. However, everything was in chaos, and the Rat Prince had no intention of letting up in his stream of attacks. She would just have to keep working to keep out of his reach until she received an opening of attack._

 _The nutcracker princess was doing a good job of holding her own against her enemy, but that didn't do much to comfort her uncle. He struggled to get through the battlefield to her side, where he hoped he could defend her from the enemy._

 _Unfortunately for him, his earnest rush to get by her side also meant he wasn't paying attention to what was happening in the battle around him. As he struggled to get closer, he was forced to dodge into a hut that had been set aflame. Once he was through it, he would be right by his niece's side._

 _"_ _Penelope!" he called out as he made it near the exit of the hut, Heatherdown right behind him._

 _"_ _Uncle John?" Penelope responded, turning for a moment to see him._

 _"_ _Penelope, I'll be there in a-!" he stated, but he was cut off as the hut he was in started to collapse. Burned through timbers collapsed down, burying John and Heatherdown where they stood._

 _The moment Penelope saw this, a panic overtook her. "Uncle John! No!" she cried out. Breaking away from her battle, she attempted to make her way over the smoldering wreckage to rescue them._

 _Unfortunately for her, that gave the Rat Prince the opportunity he needed. Swinging out with the handle of his scythe, he hit her hard in the back, knocking her on her stomach. While she was in this prone position, he hit her right in the head with a sleep spell. She went down in a moment, allowing the villain to take his prize._

 _"_ _We have the princess, and the nutcracker is no more!" the Rat Prince called out. "Return to the palace!"_

 _With a roar, the rats let out a cheer before hurrying away. The battle had been won for them, with their most dangerous foe in splinters and the second most dangerous a hostage. Nothing more had been left for them in the little village that had not already been destroyed or swiped. All was finished in the battle, and it seemed that, perhaps, the war had been won as well._

 _…_

 _What remained of the resistance after the sudden raid of the rats did what they could to salvage what supplies were left. It wasn't looking good, though. The princess was captive, along with a good portion of the village. Only Fidget, Digit, their cousins, Brain, and the family of wind-up soldiers were left, all others slain or captive._

 _Out of respect for the dead, the eight went to work at finding the bodies of the slain and laying them to rest. It was long, hard work, but they went at it as best they could._

 _When the work was near finished, Fidget was working at moving away the wreckage of the burnt out hut that had collapsed on John and Heatherdown. He wasn't looking forward to unearthing their remains, but still felt it best that they be recovered and buried properly._

 _When he came upon them, however, he was given quite a shock. "Hey! Hey come over here! I've found the prince and Heatherdown! I think they're still alive!"_

 _"_ _What? They're still alive!" Digit cried, and he hurried over to help his brother out. The others came as well, almost not daring to hope that they could be correct, but still holding out that, perhaps, beyond all expectation, their prince could still be alive. If he was still alive, then so too was hope._

 _…_

 _When the building had come down on the two of them, John had realized in a moment what was happening. In that moment, a conflict had occurred and he froze, the desire to save his niece from the foe before he and the urge for survival splitting him in two. It had been Heatherdown, who sprang forward in an attempt to get him out of the way of the rubble, who shook him back to his sense._

 _By that time, however, it was too late for escape. In a moment of desperation, he pushed her in the direction of a small alcove and covering over the entrance of the divot with his body. It was here that, for once, the curse became a benefit. Had he been of flesh and blood, the falling rubble would have killed him then and there, but his hardwood body was capable of taking on the trauma of the collapse. At first, he was worried that fire might have spread down, but they were too far down for it to reach, so for the time, the two of them were safe._

 _Unfortunately, that was where their luck ended. While he was durable enough to take the blows, he was not strong enough to move the encapsulating debris off of himself, which meant that, for the time being, John and Heatherdown were trapped._

 _"_ _Are you alright?" John asked when he realized he couldn't move._

 _"_ _As I could be, considering the circumstances." Heatherdown was hunched over in her hiding place, her weapon long lost. She had just enough room to roll over, but not much more. "How about you?"_

 _"_ _I've been better," he replied. "I'm kind of stuck, though."_

 _"_ _Let me see if there's anything I can do." Heatherdown reached around her prison, trying to feel for something that might allow her to get some of the debris off of him. Unfortunately, there was hardly any room for her alone, and there was nothing that they could use to get free._

 _They were forced to sit and wait, unhappy about their circumstances but helpless to do anything about it. After what seemed like ages, however, signs of rescue came. There was a scraping sound, like someone pushing boards off of them. "Hey!" Heatherdown called out. "We're down here! Please, help!"_

 _"_ _We're trapped!" John added._

 _Near immediately, the heard Fidget's voice, though it was somewhat muffled by the remaining debris. "Hey! Hey come over here! I've found the prince and Heatherdown! I think they're still alive!" Excitement filled the two captives as they realized that he was calling help over. They would be out soon._

 _…_

 _By the end of the attack, William was not sure what to make of his surroundings. It was clear that the battle was not turning in their favor, and even though he was able to defend himself using the gun Penelope had given him, he was still feeling overwhelmed by it all._

 _After a few moments of the battle, he found himself surrounded by people he didn't recognize. It wasn't too hard to tell friend from foe, but still, the fact that none of his allies were familiar was rather disconcerting. He turned this way and that, pausing every few minutes to reload his weapon and fire, but his priority was finding some ally that he knew._

 _He soon got his wish, but not in the way he had wanted. As he was fighting, there came a great cry from the rats, and for a split second, William looked to see what had happened. He was not pleased by what he saw._

 _At one side of the battlefield, the Rat Prince had called out the victory for his side. The other kids were unconscious captives, including Penelope, who now dangled from the Rat Prince's clutches. Prince John or anyone from his team were nowhere to be seen, and it was clear that the battle had gone badly for John's side._

 _William had only a moment to process this, though, as in a moment, he was shoved down by several of the rat soldiers. He was only able to avoid being slaughtered by laying still and hoping the rats didn't trample him._

 _Once they were gone, though, the boy pushed himself back up. The princess was hostage, the true prince nowhere to be seen, and he, a foreigner from another world, was all that was left. "Penelope's in danger now, and I'm the only one who can help her." He bit his lip, afraid of what he knew he had to do, but willing to do it anyway._

 _Pleased to find that he still had the gun and that his ammo bag was still three quarter full, he moved away from the former battlefield, not noticing the wind-up soldiers going about their job. He turned his attention to the matter at hand, especially the first act. He'd need to find out where the rat army had gotten to._

 _Thankfully, that particular duty proved easy. The rats had not bothered to cover their tracks as they fled, so it wasn't long before William caught sight of their retreating forms._

 _His luck, unfortunately, ran out there, as the army was still on the move. He was forced to run to catch up with them, and even still, it was a full hour and half before they stopped to set up camp._

 _When he had finally reached the outskirts of the camp, William's mind raced to figure out something to do. He was going to have to get in there somehow if he was even going to have a remote chance of rescuing Penelope. Thus, he'd need to convince the rats he was one of them, at least for a little while._

 _To his relief, most of the rats were lounging around in human form, meaning he wouldn't have to convince them he was another species. Still, as long as he was wearing a soldier's uniform, the plan would never work._

 _He stripped off the coat, which would have been the most obvious giveaway. Tearing it to shreds, he rubbed it in the mud to further disguise the color and wrapped the cloth pieces around the gun so that the carvings wouldn't show. He then preceded to rub mud on himself, focusing heavily on his face, glasses, and shirt, to give the appearance that he hadn't washed in ages. He would have ditched his glasses as well, but he wouldn't have been able to see for a foot in front of him if he did that, so he just had to hold his breath and hope that no one noticed them if they were dirtied._

 _Hoping upon hope that this disguise would be enough, he crept into the rat's camp. He tried to be both quiet and casual, so as not to look suspicious or attract attention to himself. It appeared to be working, as none of the rats paid him any heed._

 _He had almost gotten to the center of the camp when he heard the call. "You, boy!"_

 _William shot up to see who had spoken, as they had clearly spoken to him. It was a huge, older looking rat. He was glaring at the boy, and had a gnarled finger pointing at him._

 _"_ _Me?" William asked in an anxious tone of voice._

 _"_ _Yes, you," the older rat said with a snarl. "Who else would I be talking to? The flower-petal queen? Hand me that barrel of grog."_

 _Turning to one side, William realized he was standing next to a huge barrel of grog. Instantly, a wave of relief hit the boy as he realized that he had not been found out. "Oh, yes, of course."_

 _He attempted to pick the barrel up, but found it to be too heavy to do so, and had to resort to just pushing it over to the rat. As soon as he had done so, the rat snatched it up and turned away, muttering about how lazy the new recruits were getting._

 _That business now done with, William turned back to the matter at hand. He examined the camp to find other prisoners, but to his disappointment, he was on his own. It appeared that the band who had the captives with them had broken away from the rest of the group, meaning that the boy would be on his own._

 _He was almost certain that he missed his opportunity to rescue the princess as well, until he saw her. She had been imprisoned in a wagon, which was right next to the fire the higher-ranking rats were sitting at. She was chained up inside, with both hands imprisoned in a locked box so she couldn't attempt to pick the lock._

 _Moving as fast as he could without being noticed, William picked up his pace and came to the wagon. "Penelope," he said in as loud a whisper as he dared. "Penelope, I'm here. Can you hear me?"_

 _"_ _William?" Penelope responded as soon as she heard him. "Where are you?"_

 _"_ _Under the wagon," he replied. "I was able to sneak in, but I'd rather not risk being seen if I don't have to. Now, where is the key? I'll undo those chains and we can both make it out of here."_

 _"_ _Wait, not just yet," she replied._

 _"_ _Not just yet?" he repeated, confused as to what she was saying. "Why not? Shouldn't we get out of here as soon as we can?"_

 _"_ _We should leave when it is prudent to do so," Penelope answered, "and right now would not be prudent. There are rats everywhere, and while you might have been able to pass yourself off as one of them, I certainly wouldn't be able to."_

 _"_ _Besides, I've got a plan, and it involves getting into the palace," she continued. "I would appreciate your help, though."_

 _"_ _Alright, then," William said, still feeling anxious but willing to go along with the plan. "What do you want me to do?"_

 _"_ _First of all, get into the wagon," Penelope answered. "There are cloaks back here you can hide in. No one else will be in the wagon, so we can communicate a bit more freely in here. I explain the rest to you in a moment."_

 _Nodding wordlessly, William crawled out from his hiding place and hurried into the wagon. Just as she had said, there was a huge pile of filthy cloaks which, while unpleasant to be surrounded by, did provide a useful hiding place._

 _"_ _Alright," Penny whispered, leaning into the pile once he was hidden. "Now here's what I had in mind…"_

 _To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5

_systemcat: Yeah, that would be a bad way to end. Good thing it wasn't the end!_

 _Gadget and the Nutcracker belong to their respective owners._

Friday, December 19, 2087

"Are you sure it's there?" Wayne asked.

"As sure I've ever been about anything," Caz replied. She leaned in her chair. "Just focus in on the background. Editing got most of it, but it's there if you pause on just…the right…time." As if to emphasize her words, she raised the remote and hit the pause button at the word time.

Leaning into the screen, Wayne frowned. "I'll be. An elephant did get into the background of a Spider-Man movie."

"Yeah, and it was a good thing it did, believe it or not," Caz replied with a laugh. "The stunt double for Spidey missed his shot and a wire snapped, but because Jumbo there had gotten in, he ended up landing on that rather than the ground."

"Still, I can't believe they missed the trunk," Wayne commented, handing over a ten to Caz as he spoke.

"Hey, even the best of editors miss things," she said with a smile. "Besides, it didn't stop it from being the best Spider-Man movie since _Homecoming_."

"Still not better than _Spider-Man 2?_ " Wayne asked.

"Nothing is better than _Spider-Man 2_ ," Caz stated.

"So I've heard, so I've heard," Wayne said. However, as he took a sip of his coffee, he added under his breath, " _Homecoming_ was better."

"What was that?" Caz asked, turning to him with a raised eyebrow.

"I said, 'if we spill anything, the station will get wetter,'" he said quickly.

Caz gave a smirk. "That's what I thought."

Before anything else could be said, there came a ping at one of the computers. As it was on Caz's side of the monitors, she turned to look at what it was.

"What's up?" Wayne asked.

"It's the Gadget Blog," Caz responded. "They've got some video up, and it's getting views like crazy."

"Pop it on!" Wayne said, giving a grin. "That site usually gives entertaining vids."

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

 _The trip to the capital was, as expected, not particularly comfortable. Just as Penelope had stated, they were pretty much left by themselves, but that also meant that there wasn't any consideration left for the cart, except to keep the prisoner from escaping. The two teens were tossed this way and that as they transversed over rocky terrain._

 _However, as unpleasant as the trip was, it did mean they were brought right to where they wanted to go as quickly as possible. After about an hour of being thrown around by the bumpy terrain, things seemed to settle down. They were still moving, but it seemed as if things had calmed down._

 _"_ _I suppose thus means we've come to the road," Penelope said._

 _"_ _The road?" William asked._

 _"_ _The road leading up to the capitol, I mean," she explained. "Most of the country doesn't need too many roads, but when people are traveling to the capitol for business, they will bring wagons with them. Thus, a primary road was set up for travel there."_

 _"_ _Then we're getting close," William responded. "Remind me, when we reach the palace, you want me to go to the captain of guard's room, right?"_

 _"_ _Right," Penelope answered. "If things are the same way they were when I lived there, then there should be a skeleton key in a hiding slot in the drawer there. Once you get that key, find where I and the Sugarplum Fairy are being held. Once we are freed, we should be able to make it out of there and find our way to those who still remain."_

 _William was about to respond, but before he could, Penelope shushed him. "We've stopped and someone's coming over! Quick, hide!"_

 _He hurried to do as instructed, dodging back into the pile of foul-smelling cloaks. As soon as he had settled in, the wagon stopped completely and the back opened up. "Well, Princess," the Rat Prince's unmistakable voice said, "are you ready to hand over that book to us?"_

 _Penelope was deathly afraid, but she was determined not to let her captor see it. Frowning, she turned away from him and said nothing, as if even acknowledging his existence was beneath her._

 _Seeing this, the Rat Prince gave a cruel laugh. "Still trying to play the regal, dignified princess, huh? That won't last for long. At least, not with what happened to your beloved uncle."_

 _Hearing the mention of her uncle, Penelope clenched her jaw. She wanted to slap her captor, she wanted to scream, she wanted to weep, she wanted to rage against anything and everything that had conspired to take her last living relative away from her. However, having such a response would only give her kidnappers what they wanted. Thus, she struggled to keep a stoic face._

 _"_ _Don't worry, you won't have much longer to miss him," the prince said before slinking out of the cart. They started moving again, and once they didn't Penelope lost it. Because of the curse, she could not shed tears, but she broke down and wept in just about every other way. Wrapping her arms around herself, she sobbed, mourning the loss of her family._

 _Feeling it safe to come out from his hiding place, William crept over to where the weeping girl sat. He wanted to do something to comfort her, but he wasn't quite sure if it was his place to do so, or even if she wanted it. Eventually, he decided to place a hand on her trembling shoulders in an attempt to offer consolation._

 _She responded quickly, leaning in and placing her head on his shoulder. "He's gone," she sobbed. "He's gone and it's all my fault. If only I hadn't been there, he'd still be alive."_

 _"_ _Hey, it's not your fault," William responded. In truth, he wasn't sure what had happened, but from the speech and Penelope's response, he could reason that John was dead. Using this, he tried to do his best to offer solace._

 _Still leaning against him, she attempted to steady herself. "I suppose you are right," she responded with a sigh, "but still, it hurts so much. It seems like if I had done something…"_

 _"_ _That doesn't matter right now," he replied. "What matters is that we focus and work through what's ahead of us and try to come out of this alive."_

 _She gave him a small smile. "True. And where we're going, we're going to need every ounce of focus we have."_

 _…_

 _Of course, it had taken time to get John and Heatherdown out of their prison. It was two hours past midnight by the time they were fully freed. Thankfully, they had not been badly injured by the experience, though they were shaken up._

 _Once they were out, the wind-ups were quick to fill them in on what had happened. "I'm sorry, my friends," John said in a low voice. "This was our fault. If we hadn't shown up out of the blue like this, the rats wouldn't have found you."_

 _"_ _Now, that's nonsense, and you know it," Scooter insisted, though her sister gave nonverbal warnings not to be so bold. "Those villains have been ransacking areas all over! They would have figured it out eventually."_

 _John chuckled at the statement. "I suppose so, but that still leaves us in a precarious position."_

 _"_ _True," Heatherdown said, leaning back. "We're stuck out here, those rats have gotten most of our allies, including Penelope, they've destroyed most of our resources, and we've nowhere to turn and no place where we can plan a course of action."_

 _"_ _That would be incorrect, though," Hymie stated. "There still is the Intelligence Service tunnels."_

 _Hearing his words, Helena and Harold nodded in agreement, but the others looked surprised. "The Intelligence Service is still around?" Fidget asked. "I would have thought they would have been scattered the moment the rats took over the palace."_

 _"_ _Their access to the Palace library was constrained, true," Helena stated, "but they have other places where they have gone into hiding. Since they are not warriors, they have not been able to help much physically in the resistance, but they might hold information that could be of use to us."_

 _"_ _At the very least," Harold added, "their tunnels are well hidden enough that we might be able to regroup."_

 _"_ _It seems like the best course of action that we can take right now," Digit said, though he frowned as he spoke. "Not much else we can do. Still, the last time we sought refuge, this whole disaster struck. How do we make it to them without drawing the whole rat army down on them?"_

 _"_ _We do have one advantage now," Data suggested. "The army left us alive, and so they must think we're already dead."_

 _"_ _We know they think_ you _are dead, sire," Scooter said with a nod. "That would, at the very least, buy us a little time and cover."_

 _"_ _Quite right," John said with a nod. "Then we had best not waste the opportunity. Come, we'll need to reach the tunnels. We'll come up with a course of action from there." The others called out in agreement before hurrying out._

 _…_

 _When they reached the palace, William had been quick to slip back into the pile of cloaks. Penelope was rather sorry, as she had been enjoying his company, but she had to turn her mind to her portion of the plan._

 _The time for it came quickly. As soon as they stopped, she was pulled out of the cart without any hesitation and was brought before the Rat King himself._

 _This was the first time she had ever come face to face with the enemy herself, and she was horrified by what she saw. He seemed to notice this and took great amusement from it. "What? Are you not impressed by my beauty, little doll?"_

 _Penelope felt like retching, but she restrained her composure, tightening her jaw and turning away. The last thing she wanted to show her captors was her fear._

 _"_ _She's been like this the whole trip," the Rat Prince said, coming to join his uncle. "She is a stubborn little thing."_

 _"_ _Don't worry, we have a way of dealing with stubbornness," the Rat King said with a cruel chuckle. "Now for the book."_

 _Penelope tried to pull her hand back, but she was unable to stop her captors. Snatching her right hand, the Rat King pulled her closer and forced the book open so that he could look inside._

 _What he saw there, however, did not please him. "It's empty!" In a rage, he tossed Penelope aside. "What is this?! Where is the real book?!"_

 _"_ _This is the real book," she responded with a sneer. "However, no invader will ever be able to read it. There are protections of the book that only one of my bloodline can read it. It was a defense to make sure the likes of you could never lay hold of it."_

 _Snarling, he struck her across the face, leaving a cut on one cheek. "Chain her up with the other worthless hostage," he called out to his guard. "We will find ways of making her spill the book's information."_

 _Penelope was then grabbed by several of the guards and dragged to the back of the room. There, she was chained up alongside the Sugarplum Fairy, who had already been there for days._

 _While the rats were still in the room, neither of the women dared to speak. However, they were eventually left alone, allowing Penelope to creep over to try to make contact. "Are you alright?" she asked._

 _The older woman smiled. She was tall, had light purple hair, and in a better state, would have been very beautiful. "I should be asking you," the Fairy responded. "It is good to see that you are alive, Penelope, though I wish it had been in better circumstances."_

 _"_ _I can say the same," Penelope responded. "I can say, however, that I have good news. I have a plan of escape."_

 _Hearing this, the Fairy's face dropped. "I'm not sure if that is possible. This room is heavily guarded, and there are enchantments here that keep me from using my magic. We'd need a key if we were to even have a chance."_

 _Penelope gave a grin when she heard that statement. "Luckily for us, we will have access to the key before too long."_

 _The Fairy gave an odd look before catching on. "There's someone else here, isn't there?"_

 _"_ _Yes," Penelope answered. "A friend of mine who is a giant from another realm. The Rat Prince attacked him when he came to my defense, and he was shrunk down before being brought here. He was able to tag along, and he's on his way to retrieving the captain of the guard's skeleton key."_

 _"_ _I wish your friend luck," the Fairy said, giving a small smile. "He's going to need it."_

 _…_

 _Once Penelope had been taken, the cart was then taken out to one of the holding sheds and put away for the time being. When he was certain he was alone, William crept out from his hiding place and hurried out of the building._

 _Thankfully for him, the guard house wasn't too far from the shed. Once there, he claimed a rat's uniform, so as to blend in better, and then went looking for the captain of the guard's room._

 _Before he could make it there, unfortunately, he was spotted. "Hey! What are you doing there?"_

 _Spinning around, William found himself face to face with another teen, who was clearly on the rat's side. He was huge and looked like he wanted trouble._

 _"_ _What?" William said, trying and failing to keep his voice from coming out as a squeak._

 _"_ _What, are you deaf, or just dense?" the immense rat boy asked. "What are you doing here. This area is only for the captains."_

 _"_ _Oh, uh, yeah," William responded, his mind racing for some way to get out of this. "You see, I need to get into there-"_

 _"_ _I just said that's only for captains," the boy replied, picking up William by the front of his shirt._

 _"_ _And, uh, how do you know I'm not one?" William asked. The question sounded better in his head, and he inwardly flinched when he realized what he had just said._

 _Thankfully, however, it appeared that the rat wasn't all that bright. He lowered his captive, though he didn't put him down. "Uh…because…uh…I…haven't seen you…before now, I mean. Besides, you're not any older than me."_

 _"_ _Age is immaterial," William replied, his sudden success giving him more confidence. "The Rat Prince can't be older than us, and he's the Rat King's number two."_

 _"_ _That is true," the hulking rat boy said, setting him down. "But that's still not proof you're a captain!"_

 _"_ _How about this," William said, pulling out the gun at his side. In his mind, this would work either way. If the huge rat believed him, he'd be off scott-free. If he wasn't believed, well, at least he might be able to threaten his opponent into silence. "Would someone who wasn't a captain have a weapon like this?"_

 _The brute looked down at the weapon for a moment, and it looked as if he was wracking his brain about what to do. He frowned again and tilted his head. "Uh…I guess not. I mean, I haven't seen anything like it before."_

 _"_ _Well, there you go." Inwardly, William sighed with relief. Still, he couldn't let that show. "So why don't you put me down now and let me get back to my job."_

 _"_ _Oh, okay, sir," the boy said, complying. "Sorry about that, it won't happen again."_

 _"_ _See that it doesn't. You need to go out and, uh, examine the grounds outside. On the double!" William responded, before heading into the captain of the guard's room and shutting the door behind him_

 _"_ _Of course, sir," the rat replied, hurrying out._

 _Once inside, he slumped over, extremely relieved yet in a bit of a panic. That had been a close call. If that rat had been just a bit smarter, things would have come to blows, and he wasn't confident enough in his own abilities to be sure that he'd make it out of a confrontation like that in one piece._

 _"_ _Get ahold of yourself," he scolded himself. "Penelope needs you, and you can't just sit here feeling scared. Now, where is that key?"_

 _He browsed around the room. Once upon a time, it would have been tastefully decorated and very orderly, but since the introduction of the rats, it had fallen to disrepair. The bed was turned over on its side, as was the table. The single set of drawers were ripped open, with the compartments hanging out the side. The closet was also ripped up, as the clothes (which looked like they had once belonged to a woman) scattered around the room and torn to shreds._

 _Spotting the ripped-out drawers, he hurried over to them and started searching around. In the second one, he found a small, near invisible door in the bottom, and pulling it out, found a small silver key nestled inside._

 _"_ _Yes! Got it," he exclaimed, snatching it up._

 _He'd found it just in time, too, as a moment later, he heard voices. "I'm telling you," the voice of the hulking rat from earlier was saying, "a captain told me to go. He's in the room right now."_

 _Hurrying into the closet, William closed the door a bit and waited, hoping that they would pass by. He had no such luck, as they came right into the room._

 _"_ _Drillbit, you know captains never come around here by themselves," another voice, this one a female, scolded. "You got duped again! I'll bet you it was a newcomer who was just eager to loot."_

 _"_ _Uh-uh," the boy, Drillbit, apparently, replied. "He showed me his weapon and everything. He's a captain for sure."_

 _"_ _Oh, really," the female rat asked. "Then what was his name?"_

 _"_ _His name?" Drillbit asked, and it was clear he didn't like the turn this conversation was taking._

 _"_ _You heard me," she stated. "His name. Captains will always give name and rank. That way, proper guards will know who's supposed to be going where and who is just a looter."_

 _"_ _Uh, yeah, right," Drillbit said, though his voice was wavering. "I knew that."_

 _"_ _Then what was his name?" the girl asked. There was a silence before she gave a huff and spoke again. "Well, what was it?"_

 _"_ _Give me a moment, Syreen! I'm thinking!" Drillbit snapped._

 _All this time, William was holding his breath. He knew his hiding place wasn't that good, and if the newcomers chose to come and look in the closet, he'd be found. He might be able to fight his way out against them, but then the element of surprise would be lost and Penelope's plan depended on them having it._

 _Still, his hand went over to the pistol and prepared it, just in case. He wanted to be ready for the moment if it came._

 _Before that could happened, the girl, Syreen, gave a groan. "Look, he's not even here anymore! I'll bet he's already taken some good stuff and bolted. We'd better go find him before a real captain comes in and tears us both a new one for letting a looter get in."_

 _There was a bit more arguing, but to William's relief, they turned and left. Once he was certain that he heard their footfalls get far enough away, he tumbled out of the closet and hurried off. He had to find where Penelope and the Sugarplum Fairy were being held. When they had reunited, they could get as far away from this place as possible._

 _…_

 _Having left the burnt-out ruins of the village, Prince John and his followers hurried to find out on the hideouts of the Intelligence Service. Thankfully, the tunnels were well known to the royal family, and John had memorized them all, so they didn't have too hard of a time figuring out what tunnels they would need to go to._

 _If only John were as good at remembering what tunnels had been discontinued._

 _"_ _Alright," he said, standing outside a quarry wall, "I know for certain it's this one!"_

 _"_ _That's what you said six tunnels ago," Digit muttered under his breath, though he didn't say it loud enough to be heard by anyone._

 _"_ _Hello, is someone there?" John asked, knocking on an area of the wall. There was the faintest of outlines to it, as if suggesting a door, but one would have to look intensely close to see it._

 _"_ _Sir," Hymie said, stepping up alongside John, "perhaps this one is abandoned too. We should look for areas further away from the cities."_

 _"_ _I appreciate the suggestion," John replied, giving a small smile, "but I know what I'm doing. This tunnel goes right to the palace library; there's no way the Secret Intelligence would abandon it."_

 _"_ _With all due respect, sir," Heatherdown piped in, "that might be exactly why they abandoned it. There's no use in having a tunnel that goes right to enemy territory."_

 _John gave a huff in response. "Those rats might have broken in and destroyed a lot of the palace, but it is not enemy territory! It is still mine and Penelope's home, as it will be once we wrench control away from the rats."_

 _"_ _It has been hours, though, sir," Helena pointed out. "Perhaps it would be wise for us to try to find some shelter before the night comes on."_

 _John sighed, but gave a nod. "Alright. That makes sense," he wandered over to a rock at the back of the cavern and sat on it, leaning against the back wall of the cave. "I just wish we could have found something before-" Before he could finish what he was saying, the rock he was leaning against opened, and a pair of hands reached out and snatched him into the opening._

 _In a moment, the others sprang to their feet in case they'd need to fight for their prince's freedom, but their haste was not needed. They soon saw a younger man with brown hair peek out from the entrance. "Come on, quick," he said, motioning for them to follow him. "Before the rats arrive."_

 _Heatherdown, Brain, and the wind-ups hurried to do as they were told, and in a moment, they were all inside a darkened tunnel lit up only the touches around. "Sorry we had to frighten you like that," the man said. "We've had to be careful ever since the rats invaded."_

 _"_ _Don't worry about it, Elliain," Heatherdown replied. "We're just happy to have found you."_

 _"_ _I wish we could say we came with good news," John said, having recovered sufficiently from his sudden snatching by then. "I'm afraid that's not the case, though."_

 _Elliain nodded. "We heard about what happened in the Gingerbread Village. That is terrible."_

 _"_ _You heard already?" Harold asked when he heard this. "That seems improbable. The event just occurred recently."_

 _"_ _It's the Secret Intelligence's business to get information just as it happens," Elliain responded, giving a small smile. "Now come along, the others are waiting deeper in the tunnels."_

 _They passed through the tunnels, which were illuminated by small crystal torches that appeared at odd intervals. No one said a word, or even breathed too hard, in the whole trip, even though they knew there wasn't risk of being caught. Still, this had the air of a place where even the walls had ears, so no one felt like saying anything at all._

 _Thankfully, the trip was rather short. They soon came to a small set of stairs that went down deeper into the caverns, stopping when it reached a small wooden door. "The main waiting area is just past this door," Elliain said. "Please, watch your step."_

 _They moved their way down the stairs and into the doorway, where they stepped into one of the last rooms they had been expecting. The main waiting room was built in a cavern, but from the way it was set up, you'd have never been able to tell. The walls and ceiling were all covered over and decorated as if it had been the room of a house, and a carpet lined the floor. There was also books and scrolls of every sort scattered everywhere, and the people who were waiting within were applying themselves with great attention to these._

 _They all, however, stopped what they were doing and looked up when the newcomers came in. One of them, a young man who had previously been assisting a woman in marking out areas on a map, broke the silence. "Prince John! You're alive."_

 _"_ _Indeed, I am," John said in reply, "but we are in a hard straight. I'm afraid we have much to speak of."_

 _To be continued…_

 _Author's note: Credit time! As you might recognize, this chapter involved the CIA members of Sogo's CIA series. I highly recommend you check it out!-SilverWarriorWolf._


	6. Chapter 6

_systemcat: Like in the main universe, I leave that up to the imagination. All I can say is that it's not a pretty picture._

 _I hope you all enjoy!_

 _All properties belong to their respective owners, which is to say, not me._

Friday, December 19, 2087

 _The layout of the castle was pretty straightforward, without too many twists and turns to confuse those within. William thanked his lucky stars for this, since at the moment, his panic at being surrounded by the rats did not need to be compounded with confusion._

 _Unfortunately, the one thing that didn't come easy to him was figuring out just where Penelope and the Sugarplum Fairy were being held. Of course, he couldn't ask anyone about it up front. If he did, there would likely come questions as to why he was asking, which would turn to questions as to who he was, as that had already happened one too many times for his taste. He wasn't sure he could take another round, especially if his next opponent turned out to be smarter than the last one._

 _Still, he couldn't afford to just run randomly around the castle. Just like with the questioning, if he happened to go to an area where someone like him wasn't supposed to be, he risked the danger of people asking why he was poking around in a restricted area. He'd have to be careful._

 _He decided on moving downwards first. After all, in every story he could think of, dungeons were usually held in the basement levels of palaces. If he could only just make it in to the bottom levels of the palace, then it would be likely that would be where he would meet up with the princess._

 _Thankfully, it did not appear that the lower levels were a restricted area. He was able to make it to a set of spiraling stairs without too much problem, and none of the rats seemed to question why he was there. Thus, he was able to slip down the stairwell and make his way in the direction of the dungeon._

 _When he made it down the stairs, he found that the dungeons were indeed there, and full of many prisoners. Most of them he didn't recognize, but he did recognize some of the people who had been at the Gingerbread Village._

 _In particular, he noticed that Penelope's friends were all there, imprisoned in one of the cells at the far side of the chamber. He worked to make his way over without attracting too much suspicion._

 _He succeeded so well in his attempt that when he made it over there, even the prisoners assumed he was one of the rats. Unfortunately, this turned out to not be in his benefit, since as soon as he had made it to the bars, a huge arm shot out and caught him around the neck._

 _"_ _Alright, rat," a voice, probably Elijah's, snarled. "If you want to come out of this, you're going to have to get this door open."_

 _"_ _I'…urk…trying…to!" William exclaimed, though he struggled to keep his voice down. "I'm…the princess'…giant…friend."_

 _Hearing this exclamation, Therese came up to the bars and peered out, examining the captive's face. "He's right," she said with a nod, "it is William!"_

 _In a moment, Elijah released him. "Sorry about that," he said. "I thought you were one of them."_

 _"_ _That's what I was going for," William replied, rubbing his sore neck as he spoke. "Good to know the disguise worked."_

 _"_ _How did you make it out of there?" Bridgette asked, coming up closer to the bars. "When you didn't turn up with the other captives, we all could have sworn you were a goner."_

 _"_ _I thought so initially, too, but here I am." Looking both ways to make sure he wasn't seen, William slipped the skeleton key out of his pocket and into the door lock. "Come on, we gotta find Penelope."_

 _"_ _You mean Penelope's here?" Lincoln asked. "We knew she got captured, but we didn't know she was brought to the same place."_

 _"_ _She's somewhere in the palace, alright," William said with a nod._

 _"_ _If that's the case, I'll bet she's being held in the throne room," Kayla commented. "The Rat King keeps his more important prisoners there; there's no other place I can think that she'd be."_

 _"_ _Then let's hurry," Elijah said._

 _"_ _Wait, what about them?" Therese asked, motioning to the other cells._

 _"_ _It's going to be hard enough getting the six of us out, Rheec," Kayla replied. "We'll be of more help to them if we make it to the princess first."_

 _Without another word, they slipped out, each moving to a different area of shadows to hide, and worked to make it up to the stairwell._

 _…_

 _"_ _Well," Heatherdown said, examining the little room and the scrolls and papers housed within. "You've all been busy. Mind telling what you've got planned? Maybe you, Susanna?"_

 _"_ _That's what we were hoping to hear from you," Susanna, a woman with dark hair and glasses, replied. "When we heard the prince was back, we had thought that, perhaps, he would have an idea of how to deal with the rats."_

 _Hearing this, John stood up and began pacing the room. "This situation isn't hopeless," he declared, half to himself and half to those around him. "We just need to look at the fact. The negatives: the rats have a whole army, have taken over the castle, have either killed or imprisoned almost everyone who is on our side, leaving just over a dozen of us to face them head on, and I am still a wooden decoration. The positives: there are just over a dozen of us to face them, and we have a way into the castle!"_

 _He then looked up and grinned. "That's it!" he exclaimed, and in moved his hand in a way that suggested that he was trying to snap his fingers, completely forgetting that he no longer had any fingers. "I know just what we're going to do!"_

 _"_ _So you do have something?" The Secret Intelligence navigator, a younger woman named Cassandra, asked._

 _"_ _Indeed, I do," John replied with a nod. "We'll use the tunnel to break into the palace and invade from the inside. The rats will never see it coming!"_

 _There was a moment's pause as those who heard the recommendation glanced over to each other. "Sir," Digit finally said, "you do know that they won't be expecting us to do that because it would be fruitless, right?"_

 _"_ _Oh, Digit, you need to get your terms straight," Gadget replied in a chiding tone. "Of course, we'd go in fruitless. I don't think fruit would do us any good where we're going. We'll want to bring our weapons in instead."_

 _"_ _I think what he means is that any hopes of breaching the palace that way would be in vain," Helena suggested._

 _"_ _Of course, it would be in a vane," John replied, giving her a look. "These old mining vanes were the perfect ways to set up the tunnels."_

 _"_ _Actually," Heatherdown added, "I think he's on the right track."_

 _"_ _He is?" several people asked all at once._

 _The captain of the guard grinned and nodded. "Yes. Remember, not all our fellows are dead. A number of them would have been taken back to the palace and imprisoned in the dungeons. If we could make it there, and get them out, we'd not only have allies in our attack, but it would happen right in the core of the rats' hideout."_

 _"_ _I see the logic in that plan of attack," Hymie agreed, giving a nod. "However, the one consideration we must take is that our allies will not be armed. There's no way the rats would have allowed armament of any kind."_

 _"_ _Just leave that to us!" Jonathon exclaimed. "We've got a reserve down here just in case they'd be needed. We'll just have to moving them along the tunnel back to the palace and have them in place. Then we'll be in business."_

 _"_ _Alright, then, it's settled," Prince John said with a nod. "We go to the palace and we launch our attack from within."_

 _…_

 _Inside the palace, the small band of rescuers moved as silently as they could. William, being the one member of the party that the rats weren't likely to recognize, took the lead most of the time, scouting the area out and signaling to the others when it would be safe to come out. It was slow going this way, but it meant that they were able to move along with minimal danger._

 _However, the slow pace of the travel was starting to wear on the searchers. Even though they had an idea of where they were and where they wanted to be, the palace was a huge place, and with all the different rooms and enemies around them, there was no guarantee they would find those they were looking for in time._

 _They were beginning to lose hope when they finally achieved their goal. Moving ahead of the others, William craned his neck around some corner and laid eyes on the throne room entrance. He was not initially sure what it was he was looking at, but he got some amount of assurance as the door was opened and the Rat King stalked out, followed shortly by the Rat Prince._

 _"_ _Keep close watch on the prisoners," the latter said to two guards before leaving. "Remember, it will be the worse for you if they get away."_

 _Hurrying back to the group, William alerted the others. "I've found them," he said, "but there is some bad news. There are guards stationed outside the room."_

 _"H_ _ow many of them?" Elijah asked._

 _"_ _Two, but they look pretty big," William replied._

 _"_ _Lincoln, Kayla, Bridgette and I should be able to deal with them," Elijah commented. "Just make sure you and Therese get to inside fast."_

 _…_

 _Inside the throne room, the prisoners were trying to get a little rest. They had just gone through an interrogation session that, thankfully, had not resulted in any lost information, but it did mean that they were worn out. Since this was one of the few times when they were left alone, they were attempting to regain some strength before the questioning started anew._

 _The moment the door opened, however, they looked up. The moment she saw who it was that was coming in, Penelope sat straight and grinned. "William, you made it! And Therese! You're here, too?"_

 _"_ _We were locked in the dungeons with the other prisoners," Therese explained. "William got us out of there. The others are here, too, they're just handling the guards."_

 _"_ _Quickly, we must hurry," the Sugarplum Fairy said in a hushed tone. "Here, undo the chain. Once I am away from it, I should be able to get us away from this awful place."_

 _"_ _Got it," William said with a nod. Working as fast as he could, he undid the bindings around Penelope and the Fairy. They fell away with some amount of rattling, though the escapees did their best to keep silent._

 _"_ _I can already feel my power returning," the Fairy said with a smile. She then turned to the children. "Now, where are your friends? We'll all need to be together when we escape."_

 _"_ _We're right here," Kayla called out as they came into the room. The two guards were laying out in the hall unconscious._

 _"_ _If we're going to blow this Popsicle stand and go get help, let's go," Lincoln added._

 _"_ _Alright, stay close," the Fairy cautioned. "This might feel very strange." Holding out her hands, she focused all the power she had into the jump._

 _At the last moment, however, trouble sprang up. Several new guards came upon the scene and threw the door open. "The prisoners! They're escaping! Stop them!"_

 _The guards rushed in, desperate to stop the escape, but they were too late. The Fairy had already finished her work, and she and her companions disappeared into a burst of light._

 _Staring at the empty room, the guards could only freeze. "They just…disappeared," one of them muttered._

 _"_ _Should we tell the king?" another asked._

 _The first shook his head. "Tell the king what? I don't know about you, but I didn't see anything here. Nope, no disappearing prisoners for me. I was elsewhere."_

 _"_ _Besides," he added, gesturing with his thumb to the unconscious guards outside the door. "It was their job to guard the prisoners, not mine."_

 _Catching on to his companion's drift, the second guard nodded. "Oh, yeah, right. We never saw anything."_

 _…_

 _Within the tunnel system beneath the palace, the would-be attack force crept steadily in. John would have liked to be at the head of the group, staking out the area in the case that the enemy had discovered this passage, but for that very reason, he had been out voted. Until they knew the safety of the region, he'd be kept in the middle of the band._

 _Hymie, instead, had taken the lead. Gun in one hand and torch in the other, he kept the rest of the group updated as to where they were headed. Behind him was Elliain and Jonathon, who had agreed to come as guides. Harold and Helena protected them from behind, followed by Heatherdown, who was taking her role as the prince's bodyguard seriously. Fidget, Digit, Data, Scooter, and Brain took up the rear, dragging the armaments along with them._

 _"_ _So, remember, crew," John instructed as they began they came up to the end of the passageway. "When we get inside, our first priority is finding the prisoners. They will be our help."_

 _"_ _These things go directly into the dungeons, don't they?" Fidget asked._

 _"_ _Last time we checked, they do," Elliain answered._

 _Data leaned her head at the working. "Last time you checked? When was the last time you checked?"_

 _"_ _That would be two years, six months," Jonathon answered._

 _"_ _So, before the rats invaded," Heatherdown commented, giving a slight eye roll. "Figures."_

 _"_ _Hey, tunnels don't change their ends," Elliain pointed out. "Why would we have any reason to check the tunnels again."_

 _"_ _What about checking for a cave in?" Hymie asked._

 _Elliain shrugged. "Well, yes, I suppose we might want to check for a cave in. Why do you ask?"_

 _They all halted that moment when they realized that Hymie was no longer walking. Instead, he was standing at the end of the tunnel, which was clogged up with dirt, stone and wood. "I ask because we appear to have come upon a cave in," Hymie said, turning back to face the rest of the group as he spoke._

 _"_ _What! There was a cave in!" Digit exclaimed, dropping his end of the cart's lead and racing ahead. "There can't be a cave in!"_

 _Making it to the spot of the damage, the travelers began to examine the debris. "This damage was no accident," Heatherdown said, furrowing her brow in thought as she examined on of the collapsed pillars._

 _"_ _I will concur," Harold replied with a nod. "These pillars were both hacked and gnawed through."_

 _"_ _Which means the rats found and collapsed this place on purpose," Elliain commented. He turned white at the very prospect, and began shaking his head. "How could they have found it? These tunnels were designed decades ago to be completely hidden!"_

 _"_ _From normal searchers," Data added. "No normal searcher would have been able to find the entrance, but remember, the Rat King has magic."_

 _"_ _Which also means it's likely that any other entrance would have been rooted out and collapsed," Heatherdown said with a frown. She chewed her lip as she sat down to think. "Which means we're back to root one on how to make it in there."_

 _John had remained silent that whole time. When Heatherdown made her comment, however, a broad grin spread across her face. "Say that again!" he stated in a cheerful tone._

 _"_ _We're back to root one?" Heatherdown asked, looking over at him with confusion._

 _"_ _Yes, that's it!" he exclaimed. He attempted to raise a finger in a gesture of enlightenment, but not having fingers anymore, eventually had to settle for simply waving his hand. "I know how we get in!"_

 _"_ _How?" Everyone asked all at once. None of them wanted to wait any longer to figure out what to do._

 _John grinned. "Do you remember that old willow? The one of the cliffside behind the palace?"_

 _Heatherdown nodded. "I remember. That old tree was ancient and a treasure of the nation, but also a liability due to the way it was positioned. It could have allowed enemies to use it as a hold to scale the cliffside, allowing them access into the palace."_

 _"_ _Exactly," the prince responded, nodding at the words. "To keep that from happening, my great-great grandfather had it enchanted so that no object of stone, metal, rope, flesh, or common wood would ever be able to take hold of that tree. The exact wording was that only wood objects belonging to royalty would able to grab hold of that tree."_

 _Elliain's face lit up when he caught the thread. "I see what you're saying! Since you're made of wood now, that means that you will be able to use that tree to scale the cliff! It's brilliant."_

 _A look of shock came into John face, but he smiled. "Actually, my idea was to take some wooden pegs from some of those maps back in the mission room and try to climb using those, but I like your idea better."_

 _"_ _Well, it looks like you've got a course of action, but what about us?" Heatherdown asked. "None of us will be able to come up there with you."_

 _The prince thought for a moment. "Wait outside the west wall hidden gate," he said after a few moments. "Once I get in, I'll head over that way and let you all in. From there, our previous plan should work out._

 _There was a mumbling of agreement, and they hurried off, the majority to the west wall gate and the prince off to the willow. They could only just hold their breath and hope that this worked._

 _…_

 _In the abandoned mountain home of the Sugarplum fairy, the quiet of the air was shattered as the mansion's owner apparated in, along with her youthful rescuers. Other than the fairy, none of them seemed quite well from the jump. William, in particular, seemed to take the leap badly, and he tumbled over as soon as they were clear in the room._

 _"_ _First time apparating, huh?" Linc asked, offering his hand to help him up._

 _"_ _You guys have done that before?" William asked in response. "How can your stomachs handle it?"_

 _"_ _It's the fastest way to get anywhere if you're with a magic user," Bridgette explained. "You either get used to it and brace yourself or take a beating like you just did every time."_

 _"_ _Or you could take the long, normal way," William pointed out._

 _She gave a smile. "Now, where would the fun be in that?"_

 _"_ _Back with my stomach," he replied._

 _"_ _Hurry, young ones," the Sugarplum fairy said, motioning to the kids to follow her. "We haven't much time."_

 _"_ _Where are we going?" Penelope asked. "Do you know how to change me and Uncle John back to normal?"_

 _"_ _I'm afraid not, no," the fairy replied, and she looked saddened by the information. "Or, at least, I know there's nothing I can do."_

 _"_ _Nothing?" William asked. "I mean, isn't there some kind of counter spell or loophole that could work?"_

 _"_ _The Rat King wanted to make very certain that no one would be able to undo the spell," the fairy replied. "Thus, he chose a spell that has only a single weakness. Only an act of self-sacrifice, made completely and totally without selfish intention or meaningless self-destruction, could undo the curse."_

 _"_ _What's more," she continued, "even if there was a way, I am currently not strong enough to exploit it. The rats tapped into my power for too long, and I am now limited in what magic I can perform."_

 _"_ _I suppose that means there's nothing you can do to help William get home at his proper size," Penelope hazarded._

 _It was at this comment that the fairy looked up with interest. "Home?" she asked, turning to William. "You are foreigner to this place?"_

 _"_ _Uh, yeah, I guess so," William replied, blushing a little. "I kind of used to be bigger than this."_

 _"_ _William is a giant from the World beyond the portal," Penelope answered. "He rescued me from the grasp of the Rat Prince, and in return, he was shrunk down to his current height. We brought him along with us in hopes that you might be able to help him get back to normal."_

 _"_ _Well, size spells are a different matter entirely," the fairy said, giving a small time. "They're not very powerful spells in and of themselves, and they wear off over time."_

 _"_ _Wait, wear off?" William asked, shock clear on his face. "How long does that take? Because, I haven't felt any change, and it's been about a day since I got shrunk in the first place."_

 _"_ _That's because here, in Cosmolapia, you are your proper size," the Fairy explained. "Should you return now, you would be almost half your proper height. By the day after tomorrow, it would be like you were never affected."_

 _"_ _So, then he can go home?" Therese asked._

 _The Fairy nodded. "If he wishes." She then turned and looked at him. "Do you wish to return now?"_

 _William paused before answering. In truth, a part of him did wish to return, but at the same time, he couldn't seem to justify it. For better or for worse, he had been pulled into this world in the middle of a chaotic time, and he wished to see if through, if at least to see to it that his new friends made it out alright._

 _"_ _Not quite yet, to tell the truth," he replied. "I'd like to see things through here." He cast a glance over at Penelope, but when she looked back at him, his eyes dropped to the floor. "I want to make sure you guys are alright."_

 _"_ _That is very generous of you," the Fairy said, giving a small smile as she spoke. "I'll tell you what. There is one thing that I can give you that may be of aid."_

 _Turning to her workbench, she rifled through a pile of small items and selected a small gold pocket watch. She picked it up, twisted the handle at the top, pressed down on the latch, then she handed it over to William. "Here. This is an enchanted watch. When you open it, it will transport you back to the World beyond the portal."_

 _"_ _Be warned, though," she added once she had handed him the watch. "Once you open it, there will be no way to return. You will go back to your own world, but you will never come back here. My power is not strong enough, at the moment, to make such a device that would be able to handle more than one trip."_

 _William looked down at the watch. It was a plain device, without any markings or pattern. "Thank you, ma'am," he said, shoving it into his pocket. "I'll be careful."_

 _"_ _I am certain of it," the Fairy replied with a smile. "Now, on to other business."_

 _Pulling out a map from a drawer, she spread it out on the table and raised her hand over it. In a moment, images arose from the map, showing town, buildings, forests and roads. Small people and animals moved about on the map, though they were featureless and hard to distinguish._

 _"_ _What's this?" William asked, leaning in with the rest of the children to see the map._

 _"_ _You mean you've never seen a live-map before?" Lincoln asked. "Don't you have such things in your world?"_

 _"_ _Nothing in the slightest," William responded. "It's amazing."_

 _"_ _It's quite simple, actually," Therese replied._

 _"_ _Quiet now, young ones," the Fairy said, and there was a slight scolding to her voice. "I'll need to concentrate if I'm going to find Prince John."_

 _Focusing in on the map, she expanded it out so that the places and people grew in size. As she did, the figures briefly gained distinguishing features; though these soon faded as soon as it became obvious that they weren't the person the Fairy was searching for._

 _After a few moments of searching, one of the figures finally took form and kept its figure. As it grew clearer, it became clear that this figure was Prince John._

 _He was in the process of making his way along a path around the castle. When he came to a willow that had its boughs leaning over the side, he shot his hand up and caught it before beginning to pull himself up._

 _It was at this moment that the Fairy lost her composure. "No! It is a trap!"_

 _The moment she had uttered this, the map faded, and the image of John vanished. The map was an ordinary map once more._

 _"_ _What's wrong?" Penelope asked as fast as she could. "What is happening with my uncle?"_

 _"_ _He means to invade the palace to defeat the Rat King," the Fairy replied. "He has found a way in, but unbeknownst to him, the rat is expecting it. He is walking right into a trap."_

 _"_ _We have to do something!" Penelope exclaimed. "We need to get there and stop this!"_

 _"_ _I agree," the Fairy replied, "and we must hurry, but we can't go back as we are now. If we did, we'd just be slain with him."_

 _"_ _What should we do?" Therese asked concern in her voice._

 _The Fairy frowned, turning back to the map. "I have some armaments, but we can't go in by ourselves. Maybe I can contact some help."_

 _Touching the map again, she started to focus again, but paused a moment later. "We are in luck. It appears John did not intend to go in alone."_

 _"_ _There are more?" Bridgette asked._

 _The Fairy nodded. "Indeed. Not many in numbers, though the freed prisoners in the dungeons would be able to help with that. However, they do have the supplies. If we can apparate into the dungeons, get them free, and then unites with the reinforcements, then we might actually stand a chance."_

 _"_ _Than what are we waiting for?" Lincoln exclaimed._

 _"_ _Just our armoring," the Fairy replied, and she motioned for them to follow her._

 _To be continued…_


	7. Chapter 7

_systemcat: Yep, curses are not fun._

 _As for the map, yeah it is kind of like a 3D Google Earth. It was fun to come up with._

 _Enjoy!_

 _Aside from a few OC's, nothing belongs to me._

Friday, December 19, 2087

 _John's journey to the leaning willow went by completely without problem. Though he had been prepared for an attack or an ambush along the way, he found, to his surprise, that the path along the way to the cliff was completely unguarded. He supposed this might be because the cliff itself would be unscalable to anyone but a member of the royal house, but still, it seemed to him that it would have been a better plan to have the area guarded._

Still, _he reminded himself as he made his way to the cliff,_ one shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth _. Indeed, he had been a little worried that he'd be too tired from any struggle that came beforehand to properly undertake the climb, so the fact that no such occurrence had happened along the way was a small relief._

 _When he made it there, it seemed as if his job were all too easy. There, above the cliff, and above the short section of wall above the cliff, was the tree. Without a moment of hesitation, he shot his hand up, catching ahold of one of the limbs and gripping on to it. For a brief moment, he felt a spark; the brief reminder of the spell surrounding the tree. However, just as he had guessed it would, the tree accepted him as its master and allowed him to hold on._

 _Holding tight to the tree in one hand and getting hand holds in the rock wall with the other, John worked his way up the cliff, footstep by unsteady footstep. After what felt like an eternity, he made it up the cliffside and scaled the wall._

 _Once he was up, he squirmed through the branches of the tree, made his way into the garden, and leapt down, having made it into the garden. Just as he expected, he had made it back within the castle walls without too much difficulty._

 _What he hadn't been expecting, however, was that he was expected. "There he is!" the Rat Prince called out, motioning to a troop of rats who lay in wait. "Get him! Get him now!"_

 _Hearing the call, John moved fast, grabbing his rifle off his back and pulling it around to fight against the ambush. However, there were just too many enemies who had been lying in wait. Though the true prince put up a valiant fight, he was soon overpowered and taken hostage._

 _When the rats had taken their hostage, they let out a cry of victory. Over all the cries, the Rat Prince's voice boomed out. "This night we have victory over the pretenders! Tonight, both John and Penelope have been capture and placed under arrest! Soon, all of Cosmolapia will have to accept us as its true ruler!"_

 _John struggled to escape from his bonds, but the motion was soon noticed by the Rat Prince. Seeing the attempt, the young warlock kicked John in the side, hard enough to cause him to go limp for a moment. "I'd save what little strength you have left," the villain said, giving a mocking grin as the true prince was bound. "You won't have it for much longer."_

 _The cheering rose when the villains saw this, and John could only look down in dismay. In his attempt to help, he may have very well doomed his nation. He could only hold out hope that some way, somehow, those who were waiting for him outside might be able to make their way in._

 _…_

 _Around the main gate of the palace, the small group of fighters waited outside for John's call. In the meantime, they had prepared themselves for the coming battle, getting their weapons ready and set up._

 _"_ _Has it been too long?" Fidget asked, and his voice carried anxiety. "What if he's been caught? If he's caught, then we're all doomed, aren't we?"_

 _"_ _We're not doomed until we give in," Heatherdown scolded. "Now hush. It hasn't been that long. We may here from the prince at any moment."_

 _"_ _Oh, I hope he hasn't been caught," Data stated. She held her own rifle close as her cousin's anxiety spread to her. "They'd probably do dreadful things to him, or put him to death! Or-"_

 _"_ _Oh, hush up," Scooter said in a harsh whisper. "You're killing the moral."_

 _"_ _Sorry," her sister replied, but it was clear she was still upset._

 _"_ _Don't feel too bad," Harold said in a hushed voice. "Things are looking bad, but we have to trust that the prince knows what he's doing."_

 _"_ _He'll be here soon, and-wait, the door is opening!" Heatherdown called back. She raised up a hand, signaling to the others to wait for her signal and to move in when the prince came into view._

 _The figure who appeared in the doorway, however, was not Prince John, but Princess Penelope. She was now wearing armor and had a sword at her side. "Come in, hurry!" she called out in a voice just above a hushed whisper. "We're all waiting for you inside!"_

 _The others were confused by her sudden appearance, but not wasting any time, hurried in. "Princess, you've escaped!" Fidget exclaimed when they made it inside. "How did you get out?"_

 _"_ _I had some help," she replied with a smile. "We're going to need your help now, though. Uncle John's been taken captive by the rats, and they're going to put him to death! That's why this area's empty at the moment."_

 _"_ _Then we have no time to lose," Heatherdown said. "Where are they?"_

 _"_ _On the walls, preparing the execution for sunrise," Penelope answered, "but we need to get down to the dungeons with those weapons."_

 _"_ _The dungeons?" Digit asked. "Why do we need to go down to the dungeons."_

 _"_ _Remember that help I mentioned?" Penelope asked. "Well, we've got a whole lot more of it down there, and they're waiting for those weapons you're bringing."_

 _"_ _Oh, I get it!" Data exclaimed cheerfully. "We get those ex-prisoners armed and ambush the execution before it can happen!"_

 _"_ _Exactly, and we have move fast," Penelope responded, giving a nod. "We don't have much time."_

 _…_

 _Dawn was starting to break when the Rat King received bad news. "You lost them!" he bellowed at the unfortunate guard chosen to break the news about the escapees._

 _"_ _W-we didn't have a chance, sire," the guard stammered out. "They'd gotten out of the chain, and the Fairy used a spell. What could we have-?"_

 _Before he could finish his question, the Rat King spun around, throwing a dagger at him. The knife struck the rat in the head, killing him instantly._

 _"_ _You could have done that," the King replied. "You," he called out to two other soldiers, who had been observing the whole thing. "Get that carcass out of here."_

 _"_ _Of course, sire," one said, running in._

 _"_ _Right away," the other agreed._

 _As they hurried out, the King turned and fumed. This was not good. "If she is loose, then all my enchantments are in danger," he snarled to himself. "I'll need to finish this now if I am to keep my rightful position."_

 _Hurrying out of the throne room, the Rat King stalked off to the main hallway. There, he found the Rat Prince, who was overseeing the finishing of a giant pit for a bonfire. The pit was filled with wood and had a variety of axes, battle scythes, and spears surrounding it. Most of the rat guard were already there, ready to witness the momentous occasion. "Are things almost finished here?" he asked, and the impatience was clear in his voice._

 _The Rat Prince turned when he was addressed, and he nodded. "Indeed. The place of honor is almost prepared, and we can continue when you are ready."_

 _"_ _We will need to move things along faster than expected," the King said. "Those fools we left as guards allow the Fairy and the princess to escape. If the curse is to be complete, then we must kill the nutcracker now."_

 _"_ _The princess has escaped?" The Rat Prince's face twisted into an expression of shock. "How could she? I personally made sure she was trapped!"_

 _"_ _It appears a spy got in and got in contact with her," the Rat King replied as he made his way to the throne set up in the front. "Undoubtedly, they will make their way here to try to stop the execution from happening. We must finish him before they come."_

 _"_ _Agreed," the Prince replied with a down. Turning around, he motioned to several guards. "Bring out the prisoner and lead him to his place!"_

 _The guards came out, dragging John behind them in chains. He was weakened and injured due to his treatment, but he still fought against them to the best of his abilities. He did his best to filter out the jeers and mockery aimed at him, as he was determined that if he was to meet his death, he would meet it with some amount of dignity still intact._

 _Despite his struggles, however, he was soon dragged out to the bonfire pit. There, he was bound to the largest stake of wood on the pyre and forced to face the crowd of onlookers._

 _"_ _See what has now become of the mighty house of Cosmolapia!" the Rat Prince called out when the binding was finished, and the jeering reached a crescendo._

 _"_ _Of course, every house must end sometime," the teen went on. "How should this house end?"_

 _"_ _Burn him!" the crowd began shouting. "Burn him now!"_

 _Turing to the captive, the Rat Prince gave a cruel grin. "The people have spoken." With that, he dropped a torch onto the pyre. In an instant, the flames sprang up and began licking dangerously close to John._

 _Before they could reach him, however, a cold wind blew out, accompanied by a burst of snow and ice, and the fire was extinguished. All onlookers turned to see the back entrance, where the Sugarplum Fairy stood, her hand still outstretched from the spell she had cast._

 _"_ _Get her!" the Rat King bellowed. "Get her and kill her now!"_

 _The rats immediately started to swarm, but the fairy was too fast for them. As soon as the came close, she closed her eyes and disappeared. She then reappeared directly above the nearest group and struck down with lighting. The lightning shot out and struck down any who was hit by it._

 _At the same time, the rest of the reinforcements plunged in. All of the prisoners from the dungeons had now been freed and armed. They plunged into the area from all sides, led by Penelope._

 _As soon as the battle had begun, Penelope located the pyre and began moving in that direction to free her uncle. However, before she could reach it, she was intercepted by the Rat Prince._

 _He had sprung at her all of a sudden, and she had to move quickly to avoid getting hit. When she had recovered enough to respond, she lashed out with her sword. Unfortunately, she was not able to land a lasting hit, as the rat was ready._

 _Her sword clashed with the blades of two battle scythes, which the Rat Prince had snatched from the edge of the pit. Swinging them like a mad man, he slashed at her, only just barely missing her by inches. "Well, little princess," he said in a mocking tone, shifting halfway between human and rat forms to gain a size advantage, "you couldn't beat me before, what make you think you can beat me now? Especially since you're still fighting one-handed."_

 _Penelope didn't respond. Instead, she cut out with her sword, attempting to land a hit on his arm so that he'd be forced to drop one of the scythes. Unfortunately, once more, he was able to dodge the cut, and she was forced to move out of the way to keep her head on her shoulders._

 _While the princess still struggled on against the rat prince, the wind-up brothers moved in through the shadows. They alone hadn't thrown themselves into the fray when the fight was begun, as they had searched for the opportunity to make it to the true prince, who was still struggling against his bindings._

 _They soon found their opening in a small entryway near where the pyre was. It would take them near the pit in a place where the fighting would not hinder them. Moving as fast as they could, they hurried through the passageway and worked their way down into the pit._

 _"_ _Don't worry, your majesty," Fidget said as he and his brother started to cut at the wood, changing their hands into saws. "We'll have you out of here before you know it."_

 _"_ _Glad to hear it," John commented, giving a nod of approval. "Just make sure you cut at the pyre, and not me."_

 _While the fight waged on, William struggled to keep a watch on everything that was happening. Since he had a weapon that worked better at distanced attacks, he found cover among some of the rubble on a balcony. From there, he did his best to snipe targets from a distance to give Fidget and Digit enough cover to free the true prince._

 _Still, as he was providing the cover, he couldn't help but turn to the fight between Penelope and the Rat Prince every couple of seconds. He knew his task, but he also remembered his promise, and the way the warlock was fighting didn't seem right._

 _That was when he realized what the problem was. It was just a small note, something near impossible to see, and probably impossible from the front, but William caught it. There was a slight shimmer in the form of the Rat Prince, a brief moment that didn't look quite right. William wanted to explore this new angle, but he also knew it was imperative that he help the true prince get free._

 _Thankfully, mere moments after William spotted the error, Fidget and Digit finished their work, and the pillar of the pyre snapped in half and tumbled over. This loosened the chains enough to let Prince John slip out, and taking a rifle from Digit, jump into the frey himself._

 _Now freed from his previous responsibility, William turned to the princess' foe. He had to wait a while, but that's when he saw it. The shimmer, causing wood and stone to appear as flesh and blood. "That's not him at all!" William exclaimed to himself. "It's a glamour-covered golem! Now, if that's a fake, where's the villain himself?"_

 _He scanned the battle field, looking for where the villain might be. It didn't take too long, as he spotted the Rat Prince coming up behind Penelope, a scythe in hand ready for the strike._

 _William moved fast, aiming his gun in the direction of the rat and firing without hesitation. Unfortunately, instead of letting out a bullet, the gun gave a gut-wrenching click, signaling that it was out of bullets._

 _Realizing he didn't have the time to reload before a killing blow would be made, William threw all caution to the wind. Leaping down from the balcony, he grabbed a hanging rope and swung over, kicking the Rat Prince hard in the chest._

 _The blow did as it was supposed to, and the Rat was knocked back so hard that the golem tumbled to pieces. Seeing her own foe fall apart, Penelope spun around, trying to figure out what happened._

 _By the time she turned, she saw both boys getting up from the blow, and the Rat Prince swinging his scythe at William. "I've had enough of you, giant!" he bellowed as he started the blow._

 _Penelope rushed ahead herself, stabbing the Rat Prince in the shoulder and knocking him aside with her book. The blow was unexpected, and it knocked him into the pyre pit, taking a part of the blade with him, and he lay still among the wood._

 _Her attack finished, Penelope turned to check on William, and found to her dismay that her attempt, though successful in stopping the rat, had been too late. William lay on the field, his chest and stomach slashed by the scythe._

 _"_ _No!" she cried out, ducking down by his side. She propped him up and started looking for something to stanch the blood. "No, it's going to be alright," she said, quickly. "You're going to be alright."_

 _When she helped him up, William opened his eyes. "You-you're okay," he said, giving a weak, dizzy looking smile. "You're better!"_

 _"_ _I'm okay," she said, "and you're going to be alright." Unable to find anything else, she tore away a piece of her shirt. "I'll have you cleaned up, and-"_

 _"_ _No, look," he said, and he took her hand that had been cleaning away his blood._

 _Penelope followed his gaze, and then let out a cry of shock when she noticed what he was pointing out. The moment she had touched his blood, her hand had shifted from wood to human flesh and blood. That change had crept steadily up her arm, and by the time she had noticed, she was already half changed back._

 _"_ _It just like she said," Penelope said, flexing her newly regained fingers. "An act of self-sacrifice, made completely and totally without selfish intention or meaningless self-destruction."_

 _William gave a weak laugh. "Well, at least I know I'm good for something."_

 _"_ _You're not going to die," Penelope said quickly. She then gave a smile. "I don't think I'll even need to find a medic. Look."_

 _It was now Williams turn to follow her gaze, and just like before, there was a marvel to behold. His wound was closed up, and while tender, all that remained was a scar._

 _Shocked by what he saw, he was only able to stare in confusion. "Why…?"_

 _"_ _I suppose it's part of the magic," Penelope said._

 _In a moment, however, her expression changed. Grabbing William by the shoulder, she pulled him to one side, just in time for a rat land right where he had been lying. The creature had leapt upon them while they were distracted, but Penelope was able to recover in time to raise her sword to match the rats blow. The knife clashed on sword, and with a bit of struggle, she was able to drive the monster back a few paces._

 _While she was engaging the rat, William recovered from his shock. Reaching over, he took out some of the bullets from his ammunition pouch and loaded the gun. As soon as it was ready, he aimed at the creature and fired, hitting the rat in the forearm and forcing him to drop his knife._

 _"_ _Good shot!" Penny called out, turning to help him to his feet._

 _"_ _Thanks," he said, accepting her help, "but I was only able to make it because you spotted him."_

 _"_ _We make a good team, then," she replied with a smile._

 _As the battle waged on, the two leaders slowly worked their way to each other. Though the Rat King had not seen what had happened, he had felt it when the curse over Penelope had been broken. The power he had gained from that curse drained away, and he knew that if the curse on John was broken as well, he would be finished. If he had any hope of winning the day, he would have to slay the nutcracker._

 _At the same time, John sensed the coming confrontation as well. He had no way of knowing that the curse had started to break, but he did know that there was no way that the Rat King was going to let him leave the battlefield alive. As such, as soon as he was free of his bindings, he made sure to arm himself with a bayonetted rifle and prepare for the battle._

 _It came soon. When the Rat King caught sight of the Nutcracker Prince, a gurgling roar tore from his throat. He launched himself at his foe with a passion, intending with every fiber in his body to rend John limb from limb._

 _John heard the call and responded in turn. Shaking away from the foe he had been facing, he turned the gun on his enemy and fired, shooting two rounds at the rat. The shots hit their mark, but unfortunately, at this time, the rat was in such an enraging fury that the bullets did almost nothing to slow his attack._

 _When was in reach, the Rat King leapt up and lashed out at the Nutcracker with tooth and claw. John was able to respond in turn, brandishing the bayonet in the direction of his enemy. Unfortunately, he miscalculated how his opponent was going to attack, and the rat merely leapt over the knife._

 _In a moment, the rat had John in his claws. He tore at his opponent, ripping away much of his shirt and clawing at his face. The Nutcracker was able to avoid any serious injuries by lashing out again with the bayonet, but it was clear that unless he could escape this position, he would not be able to survive for much longer._

 _Before the rat could tear his head off, however, a bolt of lightning struck down on the rat. The strike shocked the rat, and it was amazement to John that he was not injured as well. The reason for this protection, however, became clear when the Sugarplum Fairy came and pulled him out from under the temporarily stunned rat._

 _"_ _John! Are you alright?" She exclaimed, pulling him into a hug._

 _"_ _I'm fine," he replied. "A bit scratched up, but-look out!"_

 _With a swift movement, he pushed her out of the way, just in time for a spear to come sailing past them. While they had been reuniting, the Rat King had recovered from the shock and had chucked one of the weapons at them. Thanks to John's notice, it missed them, but the rat was already back on his feet and aiming with another projectile._

 _John responded in turn. Grabbing his gun again, he attempted to fire off another shot, but the rat moved faster. He shoved a thin spear down the gun's barrel and broke it off, leaving the barrel stuffed and clogged. He then slashed out, attempting to take the Nutcracker's legs out from under him._

 _Prince John was only able to move fast enough to get out of the way. Realizing he was not going to be able to fire again, he turned to using the bayonet on the end to try to ward the rat off._

 _At the same time, while he fought the Rat King one on one, the Sugarplum fairy worked her magic as well. The last two lightning bolts she had fired left her somewhat drained, so she couldn't afford to attempt any offensive magic. She could, however, work to keep John from becoming wearing or collapsing from injuries, and she worked every ounce of her strength into that goal._

 _By now, the rat was whipped up into such a frenzy that he didn't bother to come up with a battle plan. Strategy and magic were both out the window in favor of pure, unbridled fury. In his rage, he threw himself at John with vicious intense, clawing, biting, and stomping in any effort of harm the nutcracker. Even laden with wounds that the true prince inflicted in self-defense, the rat was not about to be slowed down._

 _The only time he paused was after dealing a vicious bite to John's arm, which tore out a good chunk of wood. The nutcracker cried out in pain, but due to the actions of the Sugarplum Fairy, the injury healed up in an instant. That was the first time the rat noticed her actions, and for a split second, he turned his attention away from John and on to her. Springing up, he jumped at her and, slashing down with his claws, knocked her backwards and unconscious._

 _The rat attempted to spring on her again, this time to rip out her throat, but this time, John saw it coming. Rushing ahead, the nutcracker came between the rat and his prey, and in the process, took a devastating bite to the throat for her. He let out a cry of agony before crumpling down._

 _Realizing the blow he had cast was a killing one, the rat looked up to the sky and prepared to give a cry of victory. His cry of victory became one of shock, however, as he felt his power drain away._

 _He didn't realize what had happened, until he looked over at the fallen nutcracker. John, while passed out from the pain, was not dead, and because of his action, he had started changing back to human from the neck out._

 _In rage, the rat lashed out, ready to kill his victim for real, but the Sugarplum Fairy acted first. She summoned up a flash of lightning and aimed it at the rat. Without his power, the shock killed the loathsome creature, ending his reign of evil once and for all._

 _The blast resonated through the battlefield, as the death of the rat king undid all of his previous enchantments. All the rat's lost their shape changing abilities and morphed back into what they truly were: rats. Gone was their ability to hold their own in the fight, and they scattered, off to live the rest of their miserable lives in the gutter they had crawled out from._

 _Those who had been fighting on the side of the true rulers paused as their opponents ran off. They turned, and scanned the field trying to figure out what it was that had just happened._

 _Then they saw it. The true prince and princess, restored to their true forms. John was coming too from the blow and was struggling to get to his feet, supported by the Sugarplum Fairy. Penelope was hurrying over, bringing William along with her. When this sight came to those around them, everyone knew it was over._

 _They had won. A great cheer went out among the people as they marked the day that Cosmolapia was free once more._

 _To be continued…_


	8. Chapter 8

Friday, December 19, 2087

W.O.M.P. HQ, Metro City

"Is t'at t'e end of the stowy, Miss Weecee?" one little girl in the front called out.

Rheeci gave a smile and shook her head. "Not quite yet. William isn't home yet, now is he?"

"He's gonna hafta go home?" Kitty asked.

"Why, yes," Rheeci replied. "Don't you think his family is missing him?"

"But what about Penel'pe? Izzy asked. "Didn't he fall in love with her?"

"We'll just have to finish the story to find out," Rheeci replied, giving a wink.

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

 _It had been a month since that fateful battle, and while not completely healed, Cosmolapia was recovering. The palace had been restored to its proper owners and repairs done so that it was back up to its former glory._

 _The citizens now had two momentous occasions that particular day. First, it had been announced that the coronation of Penelope as the queen of Cosmolapia would be happening the next day. Preparations for the coronation had been underway for weeks, and all were excited. The other news was that as soon as Prince John could step down from the position of prince regent, he and the Sugarplum Fairy would be wed. Servants and soldiers moved in a great hustle, setting up decorations and preparations for the official engagement celebration, which would be combined with that of the coronation._

 _During that month, William had been allowed to stay in the palace as well, since he had nowhere else to go. In this time, he had spent a fair amount of time with the soon-to-be queen helping her in her workshop, and the two of them had grown fond of each other. He had not forgotten his original home, nor his desire to be with his family, but he loathed the idea of leaving Cosmolapia permanently and was willing to wait until a solution that allowed for both worlds to remain open was devised._

 _The afternoon, William and Penelope were heading down to the kitchens when they were approached by Data. "Your Highness! Sir Cortes! There you are."_

 _"_ _Oh, hello, Data," Penelope responded. "What can we do to help you?"_

 _Data gave a curtsy before replying. "I've been sent over by the Sugarplum Fairy. She wishes to see you in the library." She then turned, as if to head in that very direction._

 _"_ _Wait, did she say why she wished to see us?" William asked._

 _"_ _Oh, yes, that's right," the wind-up woman said, tapping her head with her hand. "Silly me, I almost forgot. She wished to let you know that she believes she had found a way to send you home, Sir Cortes. She and the Prince wish to speak with you both as soon as possible."_

 _"_ _Of course," Penelope said with a nod. "We'll be right along."_

 _When they arrived at the library, they found John and the Fairy waiting there, just as they had been instructed. Seeing their arrival, the Fairy got up to join them. "There you are," she said, giving a bright smile. "We had hoped you would be along soon."_

 _"_ _We were told you found some way for me to go home?" William asked._

 _She nodded. "Yes, and a way that will allow you to return if you wish. Do you still have that pocket watch I gave you?"_

 _William nodded, taking it out of his pocket and handing it over to the Fairy. However, she held up a hand. "No, you hold on to it for the time. My power will not be ready for it until tomorrow night, after the festivities. By then, I will have recovered my full strength, and I should be able to turn it into a two-way key."_

 _"_ _However, there is more we wish to speak to you about," Prince John said, getting up to join the fairy. Turning to William, he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I haven't had the time to thank you yet."_

 _"_ _Thank me?" William asked. "For what?"_

 _"_ _For everything you've done since you came here," John replied. "You had no real reason to put your neck on the line time after time for us, yet you did so anyway. Without your help, I and my niece would likely be dead, and Cosmolapia still enslaved."_

 _William looked down, not quite certain if he deserved this much praise. "Oh, no, I really think I was that important. All I did was help a couple of times. You guys would have found a way without me."_

 _"_ _Considering you were the one who broke the spell over me," Penelope said, taking William's hand, "I highly doubt that. I, for one, am very grateful you helped." She then leaned in and kissed his cheek._

 _"_ _We-well, I'm glad I could be of use," William replied, and he was painfully aware of how deep he was blushing._

 _"_ _We are as well," John said, "and that's why tonight, I would like to honor you as well."_

 _"_ _Me?" William asked, and his blush deepened further. "Oh, no. Surely there are others who deserve it more than I do."_

 _John laughed. "Modest, I see. It's a good trait in a young man. True, there are many worthy, but you were the one to first break the Rat King's hold over this country with your willingness to sacrifice. That alone deserves recognition."_

 _"_ _If you believe so strongly, sir," William said finally giving in, "than I accept."_

 _"_ _Good man," John replied. "Everything will be prepared for the night!"_

 _…_

 _What a night it was! All the hard work on arranging the celebration came to fruition in a magnificent spectacle. All were invited, and many of them came, leading to the great dining hall to be filled to the brim. People dressed in their finest clothes mingled around, speaking, eating, and dancing to their hearts' content._

 _As all mingled, William couldn't help but notice to his relief that all he had met were all around. The other teens came, and most of his and Penelope's time were spent in their presence, along with Brain, who was taking the opportunity to get food. Heatherdown spent most of her time with the Prince and the Fairy, but it was clear she had more than one suitor of her own. Fidget spent much of the evening telling tales of their adventures, and Digit spent much of his time in the presence of Helena, who seemed rapt in their conversation. It was truly a grand and glorious night._

 _As the time drew to a close, Prince John stood up and started to acknowledge those who had fought in the previous war. There was a moment taken out for those who had fallen, and when that was finished, the rewarding of the survivors began._

 _When it came to be William's turn, John motioned to where the boy was sitting. "And for great valor in the fight, despite not belonging to our people, I honor young William Cortes. Please, come to the stage."_

 _William did as he was bidden. When he was there, he lowered his head, and John placed a simple gold circlet on his head. "Rise, William, friend of Cosmolapia." Boy did as he was told, turning around and facing the crowd behind him. They all let out a grand cheer, and William hoped he wasn't blushing too deeply as he bowed again._

 _"_ _There is but one more task to be done," the Sugarplum Fairy, who had been standing along with the prince, stated. "Young William, please give me the pocket watch."_

 _William reached into his pocket and withdrew the watch. He reached out to hand it to the fairy, but before she could take it, a dark blur rushed past, snatching it away and rushing to the rafters._

 _In a moment, the blur became clear, and all could see the Rat Prince, who had been assumed dead in the fight. "I warned you that you would regret defying me!" the rat declared, and in an instant, he opened the watch._

 _The palace guards rushed to take him, but they were too late. Without the grounding of his dead uncle's power, the rat's magic was already burning him out, and by the time they reach him, all that remained of him was ashes and an evil cackle of succeeded revenge._

 _As soon as the watch was opened, William felt a change come over him. His head swam, and everything around him started to become faint and unreal. It faded away before his eyes, and despite his attempt to hold on, it was all vanishing._

 _Penelope saw and hurried to his side. She attempted to take his hand, but to her dismay, she couldn't grab ahold of him. "No!" she declared. "Please, no! Don't go!"_

 _William tried to embrace her as well, but she was just as faint to him as he was to her. In a moment, she, and everything around her, faded away, and William fell forward._

 _When he caught himself, he realized he was lying on his bedroom floor, and he was dressed in his nightclothes. "It must have all been a dream," he muttered. "Well, it was some dream."_

 _Getting up, he turned to look at the shelf where he had left the doll the night before, but it was empty. There was no sign that the doll had ever been there. He searched for it, but the search was in vain._

 _As he searched, however, he did find something he didn't expect at all. It was a little golden ring, which was lying on the floor. William was confused, as he did not own any ring, but as he studied, he realized he had seen it before. It was the golden circlet he had been given in Cosmolapia._

 _While he was studying it, he heard footsteps rushing up the stairs. "Billy, Billy, come on!" he could hear his sister, Josaphina, call out. "It's Christmas! Come on, we've got to go to mass before we can open presents!"_

 _"_ _Coming!" he called out. Without thinking, he slid the circlet onto his finger and hurried out to join his family._

 _Still, all throughout the morning, he couldn't help but think. If the circlet was real, and his nutcracker doll gone, then what happened to him was real, wasn't it? But if so, then why was it the next morning, when he had been in Cosmolapia for weeks and weeks? It all confused him horribly._

 _He also came to miss his new friends, especially Penelope. The way she spoke, her laugh, the way she handled herself in her workshop, he missed it all. The brief thought that, perhaps, he had fallen for her passed his mind, but it didn't matter now. He'd never see her again._

 _His downcast mood must have been more visible than he supposed, as that morning, after all the presents were opened, his mother came up to him. "William, are you quite alright?" she asked. "You seem rather sad?"_

 _"_ _It's nothing, Mama," he replied, running his thumb over the golden ring. "Just some sad memories."_

 _"_ _Well, I do have some good news," his mother said. "Your Aunt will be coming over soon, and she's bringing a friend with her." At that moment, the doorbell rang. "Well, it looks like she was waiting to be announced."_

 _William didn't follow his mother as she went to open the door, but he could hear everything that was said. "Ah, Brenda, welcome!" his mother said. "Come in, come in!"_

 _"_ _Thank you for having us, Margarita," Brenda replied. "This my friend, John Brown, along with his fiancée, Miss Prince, and his niece Penelope."_

 _Hearing the introductions, William's head shot up. A part of him couldn't dare to hope that it was true, but his question was answered in a heartbeat._

 _"_ _I'm sorry to be infringing on you so unexpectedly, ma'am," John Brown said, and his voice was unmistakably that of Prince John. "Thank so you much for having us on such short notice."_

 _"_ _It was no trouble at all," William's mother replied, but William wasn't paying attention any more. He had already shot up and come to join them._

 _There, at the door, was Prince John, the Sugarplum Fairy (though with pale brown hair instead of purple), and Princess Penelope. A joy at the sight of them filled William, and he hurried over._

 _His mother noticed as he arrived. "This is my eldest, William," she introduced. "William, this is Mr. Brown, Miss Prince, and Penelope."_

 _"_ _Hello," he said, searching for something to come to mind, but too happy to come up with the words. Thus, he just grinned dumbly as he held out his hand to Penelope._

 _"_ _Hello to you, too," Penelope replied, and she took his hand. As they came in contact, he looked down at her hand and noticed that she, too, wore a golden ring, and it was identical to the tiara she had worn as a nutcracker._

 _A sense of familiarity passed between the two, and William finally overcame his block. "Would you like to come in and see the tree."_

 _"_ _I'd like that very much," she replied, taking his arm. The two of them stuck by each other for the rest of the morning, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that it was one of the best Christmas days the family had ever seen._

 _{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}_

"The end." Having finished her tale, Rheeci glanced up and looked at the clock. "Oh, look, it's just about time for your parents to come pick you up." There was a muttering among the children, mingled with pleas for another story, but Rheeci raised her hands. "Maybe if you're good now, I can come back and tell another story later." There was a murmur of agreement, and one by one, each of the tykes were picked up by their families.

Rheeci stayed behind to help with cleanup, which meant she was also there, when Will came to pick up his sisters. The other teens had accompanied him, and with the daycare center emptied out, they had the room to themselves.

"Will, guess what!" Kitty exclaimed. "We gotta stowy! An' yew we'e in it, an' you gotta save a pwincess!"

"I know," Will laughed. "I got to hear it, too."

"We all did," Penny added. "It was a very nice story."

"Wait, you guys heard it?" Rheeci asked.

"Us, and everyone who's following the Gadget Blog," Kayla answered. "It was livestreamed, and it didn't take long to get to us."

"Oh, dear, I didn't intend for that," Rheeci said, slumping down into a chair.

"Don't worry," Penny laughed. "Like I said, we thought it was a very nice story."

"Now, I'd better get them home," Will said, helping his sisters into their coats.

"I'd better go, too," Penny stated. "Brain won't be happy if I'm late for his walk. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," they all called to each other before hurrying out.

The end.


End file.
